DROP-IN Krakowska 19

Offer

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AVAILABILITY

DROP-IN is opened from Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM. At 5:30 PM we beginning cleaning. You don’t need a doctor’s referral or any other permissions. There is always an introduction conversation during the first visit. You don’t have to share any personal information as that’s not the most important thing. You also don’t have to pre-arrange your first visit in DROP-IN.

LENGTH OF STAY

Length of stay in DROP-IN is not limited but is stated by the times the facility is opened. In some cases, the staff may limit the access of a specific person. It may result from serious issues of that client with blatant violation of rules – ie. drug dealing or aggression – in such cases there may be a temporary ban from using the service/program.

SAFE SPACE

Thanks to the daily common room, that DROP-IN is, this project creates a safe space for people who usually do not have a place to go. Normally,they tend to spend time alone or go to places where they are not welcome. We want to invite everyone to whom such problems are familiar. We will do our best to make you feel at home and afterwards to keep in touchwith you, hoping that you will respect the rules that have been set in the project.

CONVERSATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS

We want to talk with you and encourage you to make changes in your lives, sometimes even to start treatment. Nevertheless, most importantly for us is that we see each and every positive change as a success and a reason to be satisfied. Our hope is to get to know you better, support you and offer helping hand in various situations.

INFORMATION

We also want our project to be a source of valid information concerning infrastructure of administrative, social and medical help as well as career counselling and addiction treatments etc.. We are gathering as much helpful information as we can (also from you as our clients), which is constantly updated and forwarded to our clients.

LEGAL AID

At the site we have a lawyer who consults and advises on how best to solve the legal problems and how to address administrative issues.

ASSISTENCE

Information only as where and how to solve a specific issue may not be sufficient. There are people among us that, because of various reasons, keep away from offices, institutions and health care centres. Unfortunately, such situations frequently result in unsolved issues and neglected matters, which actually tend to bring people down even more. We want to actively help you in managing administrative and health issues as well as other concerns that might be significant in improving your well-being.

STREETWORKING

We are not limited only to our shifts in DROP-IN. We are also able to reach out to the ones that are not able to come to DROP-IN, who are in hospitals and other institutions. We make new contacts in order to support you wherever you are at that moment.

EMERGENCY INTERVENTIONS

While contacting our clients, our attention is also focused on various symptoms that might occur as signs of a crisis. We try to work in a way that would reduce an individual’s symptoms and help our client find a mental balance, providing them with emotional support, a sense of security and get themheading towards anxiety reduction.

CAREER COUNSELING

One of the actions in the project is stimulating and encouraging clients to find a job. We work together with institutions that carry out trainings in this area, but we also offer our individual help in searching for a job, writing motivational statements and preparing CVs.

SYRINGE AND NEEDLES EXCHANGE

Because many of our clients use drugs in injections, by making free, sterile injection equipment available, we want to prevent health related consequences, especially blood-borne virus infections (HIV, hepatitis B and C). We highly recommend you to join and also to lead intermediate exchange in which you bring sterile injection equipment to the ones with whom we do not have direct contact.

DISPOSAL OF NON-STERILE INJECTION EQUIPMENT

While giving you sterile injection equipment, we advise you to bring back the non-sterile syringes and needles that we keep in safe containers and then destroy in incinerators of medical waste. This leads to limiting situations in which such equipment may be used again or thrown away somewhere which might be dangerous to others. We must teach ourselves to behave responsibly.

PREMEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

In the case of an overdose, first aid and calling an ambulance is a priority. It is similar in cases of other sudden states (such as mental disorders or blood circulation issues).

SEXUAL EDUCATION

Sexual education has importance in health, especially in the context of reproductive health. Using drugs in injections may increase the risk of blood-born virus infections, because many of them are also sexually transmitted. Sexual behaviors under the influence of psychoactive substances are another risk factor. Additionally, the level of sexual education among Poles is not near as high as it should be. DROP-IN is a place in which we try to fill in these gaps.

GROUP ACTIVITIES AND TRAININGS FOR CLIENTS

We want to lead and develop trainings for our clients. We are planning to implement a few educational modules, such as: first aid, risk of new psychoactive substances usage, harm reduction concerning drug usage and other.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET FOR CLIENTS

A computer stand with Internet access is there to enable you, our Clients, to have an unlimited access to information and to make individual research of needed information easier. It is also obviously made for electronic communication and it provides an opportunity to write administrative or official papers concerning your issues.

BOOKS

We promote reading among our clients. In our current librarye have self-help books, fiction, publications about drugs and risks linked with using them. There are also magazines and journals available daily, as well as leaflets and educational materials. In the future we’re planning to establish a better established library concerning the topic of addiction.

BEVERAGES AND CATERING FOR CLIENTS

Our clients may always get something to drink, including free, warm beverages (tea, coffee). From time to time we also have sandwiches available. We don’t want to take the role of social care, therefore the range of meals is rather limited. Periodically, in winter, we will also have additional warm meals (for example, soups).

BATHS

Due to the social problems of our clients, we provide the shower facilities. The ones willing to use the bathroom, get the are provided with toiletries and a towel.

LAUNDRY AND DRYING ROOM

Due to the same reasons mentioned above, we have created the opertunity for our homeless clients to wash their clothes. Helping with taking care of hygiene and tidiness is an important part of our service.

„DAILY” SHELTER

Using stimulants causes extreme hyperactivity which can result in insomnia. Stimulants and the lack of sleep lead to changes in the functioning of neurotransmitters and that combination very often ends in occurrence of psychoses. Therefore we off a kind of replacement shelter for people, who due to their addiction, have troubles sleeping in different facilities.

CLOTHING HELP

In autumn and winter months we are able to hand out warm clothes to our clients. In addition, all year long we hand out clean underwear.

VOLUNTEERS

Realization of the project is to a large degree based on the volunteers’ work (from preparing the meals, helping with using the bath and cleaning to shiftwork, social actions and assistance). Because of this we mainly recruit volunteers from the students of universities in Cracow, which offer internships in projects carried out by our facility.

TRAINING CENTER

Our facility has one small training room in which meetings of DROP-IN staff and other harm reduction projects take place. In order to effectively and continuously carry out the project, we train its workers and volunteers. While in order to promote similar actions in different Polish cities, we would like to organize seminars and working meetings.

ADMININSTRATIVE FACILITY

Another element of our facilities an administrative and accounting facility for all the projects that are carried out by Outpatient Clinic MONAR in Cracow. The facility plays the role of a base for other harm reduction projects linked with drug use (inter alia CZYSTE BITY, educational and proactive program working with people taking part in Krakow's night life).