Luzern shelter rebuilds for rising number of crack users

A supervised housing facility in Luzern has been redesigned to accommodate people who use crack, as the drug reshapes the city’s support services, SRF reported.

Crack, the smokable form of cocaine, has been spreading for several years. In Luzern, it now accounts for about 90 per cent of cases involving hard drugs, according to Michele D’Agrosa, who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for decades.

“Today, one gram of cocaine costs 50 francs. It used to cost 500,” D’Agrosa said. Because crack’s effects last only a short time, users face intense pressure to obtain more. He said this could make people irritable, aggressive and antisocial, causing many to lose their homes.

D’Agrosa has lived for four years in a supervised studio supported by social workers. The service is in high demand, prompting Jobdach, an association that runs supported housing, to renovate a residential facility in Luzern’s Neustadt district. The building reopened on Monday.

All 19 renovated rooms were occupied by people who use crack. Each has a refrigerator and microwave, while cooking stoves are available only in the communal kitchen.

“Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that people are often no longer able to cook for themselves,” said André Bachmann, managing director of Jobdach. Communal cooking can also create conflicts when residents are under extreme stress and prefer to withdraw when they have a moment of calm.

The rooms also have sturdy open shelving fixed to the floor instead of conventional wardrobes. “When someone is in a bad state, the wardrobe door can quickly be gone,” Bachmann said.

Video cameras have been installed throughout the building. Residents receive the house rules in writing: no violence, acquisitive crime or drug dealing. “It is also about protecting our employees,” Bachmann said.

Demand far exceeds capacity. More than 100 people are currently on the waiting list for the 19 rooms.

Jobdach is funded in part by the Catholic Church and the city of Luzern. Melanie Setz, the city’s director of social affairs and security, welcomed the reopening. “Everyone who has a roof over their head is not on the street,” she said.

Setz said she did not expect an open drug scene to develop in the neighbourhood, noting that a well-functioning service had already operated at the location. Markus Schulthess, president of the Hirschmatt-Neustadt neighbourhood association, also welcomed the round-the-clock supervision.

“It is not a pleasant feeling, but it is part of life in the inner city,” said Schulthess, who lives and works in the neighbourhood. Residents and authorities agree that crack use will not disappear, making stable accommodation important both for users and for the neighbourhood.