Drug crisis in new building: residents alarmed - solutions required!

Drug crisis in new building: residents alarmed - solutions required!

In the lively surroundings of new Vienna construction, the concerns of the residents have become louder and louder in the past few weeks. A new drug burning point has developed around the Lazaristenkirche, which ensures a lot of discussion, especially on Kaiserstrasse, near Mariahilfer Straße and the Westbahnhof. Residents report open drug use, especially heroin, and describe that people keep sleeping on the sidewalk. This unpleasant situation has increasingly tightened for about three months, as the Krone reports.

The view of the community has changed by a group of eight to ten people who consume drugs in public during the day. The residents describe that the members of this group, men and women of different origins, appear dazed and hardly speak to each other. A feeling of uncertainty and discomfort spreads, especially because of the smells of urine, garbage and drugs that put a strain on the surrounding area. Christina Schlosser, the ÖVP district party chairwoman, expresses the urgent demand for more commitment from the city to get this problem under control.

a new city district as a glimmer of hope

But not everything is dark in this corner of Vienna. In the immediate vicinity, the housing project "Stadtquartigt Sophie 7" is currently being completed with 222 funded apartments for single parents and their children. This project should not only create living space, but also help to upgrade the environment. The project, which extends on the site of the former Sophiospital, has reached the same roof and is realized by the WBV-GPA and Social Building AG, as the Kurier A urban city quarters are planned to have around 1.3 hectares that combine living space, shops as well as leisure and educational institutions. Historical buildings are preserved and supplemented by modern new buildings, which will give the future district a special charm. This includes a busy ground floor zone with bars, the Kenyon pavilion as a central meeting place, and facilities such as co-working spaces and kindergartens.

drug situation in Austria

The drug problem not only has local effects, but is also the focus of national reporting. The annual report on the drug situation in Austria highlights the challenges in this area and is commissioned by the European Observatory for Drugs and Drugs Addiction as well as the Ministry of Health. As part of the data, the situation of 2023 in drug report 2024 is comprehensively analyzed. Among other things, developments on political and legal framework conditions as well as measures to reduce demand are discussed, such as the Social Ministry informed.

The current developments in Vienna-new construction are both a challenge and an opportunity. While the drug problem requires acute measures, the new city district could bring a positive turn in the neighborhood. It remains exciting how the situation will develop in the coming weeks.