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used to say to me,“ What if we just didn’ t do housing?” or“ Let’ s forget about getting them into work,” Professor Dame Carol Black told DDN earlier this year( February, page 14).‘ But you’ ve got to do all of it – you can’ t pick and choose.’

Getting, or keeping, paid employment when struggling with substance issues can be far from easy, however.‘ The simple facets of employment – such as conduct and timekeeping – could be herculean struggles for people who use drugs,’ wrote Exchange Supplies’ Andrew Preston last year( DDN, November 2024, page 17). But they could be made‘ so much easier with a bit of compassion, understanding and flexibility’, he said. A recent EUDA webinar, Low-threshold employment programmes— can they be social reintegration gateways? heard

from three schemes adopting just that approach.

TAPAJ( Travail Alternatif Payé À la Journée – literally,‘ alternative work paid by the day’) is a French programme for 16-25-year-olds that provides‘ an alternative to unstable environments by allowing them to work, earn money legally and get support for their personal challenges’, its director Jean-Hugues Morales told the webinar. Aimed at people who were‘ homeless, socially disconnected, struggling with addiction’, it gave them‘ immediate and flexible’ work opportunities. Many lived on the streets and so couldn’ t access traditional services, he added.

Based in Bordeaux, TAPAJ now operates across 70 locations in France and collaborates with more than 300 companies and organisations, including local authorities and big names like Renault, SNCF, JCDecaux and Ikea.‘ It’ s designed to be flexible,

immediate and to build trust,’ said Morales.‘ It’ s not just about work – it’ s a holistic programme.’

SIMPLE STEPS TAPAJ firmly adopted a harmreduction approach, he stated, with no requirement for participants to‘ stop their substance use or change their life.’ The programme had‘ three simple steps’, he explained. The first was immediate work access – allowing people to not only start working the next day but also get paid the same day, providing‘ immediate impact’. Next came tailored support plans covering people’ s health, social, administrative, housing and justice needs.‘ During this phase we increase the working hours and expand the network of partners,’ he said, supporting a‘ shift in life trajectory’. In the third phase, the support became even more targeted – including care pathways and

accommodation searches – continuing the move towards stability and self-sufficiency.

It was an approach that made it easy for young people to enter the programme‘ without pressure, while we’ re gradually helping them to improve their situation,’ he said – including better access to mental health and drug and alcohol services. It had been evaluated through multiple studies over the last decade in France and Quebec, where it also operates, with all finding that the programme had a‘ significant positive impact’.

STREET INVOLVED There was a‘ rich history of getting people back into work’ in Ireland, said CEO of the Dublinbased Ana Liffey Drug Project, Tony Duffin. His organisation worked with over-18s who were‘ street involved’ – experiencing various forms of homelessness – and who often had a history

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6 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • APRIL 2025

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