Ringsend & District Response to Drugs 

OUR HISTORY

 

RDRD is located at the Spellman Centre on Irishtown Road. The Centre is called after Fr. Paul Spellman who was a parish Priest in Ringsend and Irishtown and was a member of the management and benefactor to the Centre.

 

The service has been in operation since 1995 and was known as the Ringsend Action Against Drugs (RAAD). This group was comprised primarily of staff of the local community development project (RAP).

 

In 1996 a public meeting was called through concern around lack of treatment facilities for the local area. Many people from the area came forward to join the committee. In January 1997 The meeting took place and the name Ringsend & District Response to Drugs (RDRD) was agreed and an organising committee of nine people was chosen.

 

By this time the local Drug Taskforces were being set up. The committee produces a work programme which became the submission for funding. The project received funding from the South Inner City Drugs Task Force to employ full time staff and to provide a rehabilitation service to the community.

 

Due to the increasing numbers and the service provided the project successfully applied for funding under capital to the S.I.C.D.T.F and D.D.D.A. The project was then in a position to purchase the old Bank of Ireland building on Irishtown Road. The building was then named the Spellman centre.

 

The centre is a vibrant community resource offering a wide range of services to the local community. Many of our services are funded by the HSE, FAS, fundraising and Dublin Port Company whom has been instrumental in supporting the local drugs project.

 

Many of the programmes and services provided through RDRD assist in the development of healthy behavioural alternatives towards addiction as well as reinforcing a commitment to the values of empowerment, achievement and self dependance. All elements of our programmes are designed to support and equip service users to deal directly and constructively with the challenges they face. The Project recognises that the acquirement of vocational and educational skills leading to social productivity is often vital to this goal and endeavour to match this requirement.