"Do Something"

I have wanted to "do something" for the homeless for some time, but I knew I lacked the knowledge and quite frankly the courage to do it. When I was planning a visit to see my cousin, I asked if we could give sandwiches and cookies to the homeless in her city. She had done this before and in my way of thinking, she was an expert. My cousin has as friend who at one time lived on the street. She has since turned her life around and was our guiding force in our sandwich project. Her suggestion was to make their favorite peanut butter and jam on white bread. She advised us to dress casually and not to wear red as it is gang related.  

On Sunday just before lunch, we made 40 sandwiches and added 2 cookies to each bag. We then headed to the back of the Safe Consumption Site, where there were several people. I got out and before my cousin could get around to my side of the truck, a lady asked us what we wanted. Once we announced, "we have sandwiches", they started to approach us. The first man that took a sandwich did it with a huge smile and said, "God bless you". They only took one, some asked, "can I have two". It was a nice day, and they were, "on the move". We drove around to the front of the building and gave out several more sandwiches. They asked if we had water, sadly we did not. They had a water fountain, but we assumed it was turned off for the winter months. With the few remaining sandwiches, we went to the Salvation Army where we were well received. 

All the men thanked us, not all the women did. There were a couple of men that couldn't make the trip to the truck and their buddies asked for a sandwich for them. It was a community, and they were looking after each other. 

Males between the age of 25-55 account for nearly 50% of the homeless. I would say that was true of the homeless that we saw. There were more men than women but no youth. Sadly, it appeared that they were dealing with an addiction. 

Words escape me to describe how this experience has impacted me. I have always said, the homeless are someone's son or daughter, maybe husband or wife, someone's brother or sister. They are somebody. At some point in their lives, they made a bad choice and are continuing to live with that choice.  

Homelessness and addiction are a real problem in Canada. Like with all addiction the person has to turn it around. Having available places to recover would be ideal in a perfect world. We are in desperate need of recovery places. I read somewhere that the homeless need a home before they can get better. Lack of housing or a safe place is another problem our country has.  

We have just come out of a long, very cold winter. My biggest problem was my hydro bill went up. To be cold, hungry and afraid every day is a life that I can't even begin to understand.  

Everyone has their own opinions about homelessness. Whatever your opinions are, I respect them. But I do know we all would agree, it is no way to live.  

Safe injection sites are under a lot of controversy. I thought I had a good understanding of what a Safe Injection site is and that it is a Harm Reduction initiative. My understanding was that an addict would come to the site with their own drug of choice. They would be given a syringe to draw up their drug. The dosage would be monitored and over time it would be reduced to help them recover. In other words, a form of a recovery center as well as a place for safe administration. Somehow, I felt there had to more to it than that. I wanted to know more and imagine my excitement when I found out my cousin had a direct route to someone that works in a Safe Consumption Site also known as Harm Reduction. 

My question was, "are Safe Consumption Sites a place of recovery". I soon found out I was wrong in many aspects of my knowledge. Here is the information from someone who works in one of the sites. I am using his words because he says it so well. Safe consumption sites are considered a form of recovery. Harm reduction focuses on meeting people where they are in their substance use journey without judgment. Supervised consumption sites provide a safe, barrier-free environment. The clients can access healthcare and a range of supportive services. Services include housing support, banking assistance, referrals to treatment or detox programs, court advocacy, snacks, clothing, wound care and STI testing and treatment to name a few things available. While it might not look like traditional recovery, it supports individuals in stabilizing the lives, which is essential part of the recovery process. 

Sterile needles, straws for those that prefer to snort, and other harm reduction supplies are provided. Here is the part that I had so wrong. The staff do not manage the drug dosage but play more of a role of monitoring their dosage. Their role is primarily to coach safe injection techniques, offer education, and be present to respond in case of an overdose. Clients bring their own substances. They are required to show their drugs when they sign-in. Clients are asked for their date of birth or health card. This allows the staff to access lab results and advocate for their clients more effectively. If they prefer, they can be anonymous. They are asked what substance they use, their preferred method of use and then they are provided with the supplies. Clients are monitored for 30 minutes in the consumption room and an additional 30 mins in the post-consumption monitoring area. In the case of an overdose the clients are monitored for up to two hours post-overdose. Many will stay and recover in a safe environment. The site does not provide any drugs. There is no Physican, the staff includes a charge nurse, paramedic, peer support worker and administration. There is always a peace officer present. Some of the drugs used are Fentanyl, meth, cocaine, hydromorphone, ketamine and ecstasy. 

I don't like to think of myself as a naive person, but I am when it comes to street drugs. It is inconceivable for me to even imagine living on the street or taking a needle to my arm. 

I love the phrase, "do something". Many thanks to my cousin and her hubby for helping me "do something" for the homeless. The whole experience of sharing sandwiches has given me a better understanding of street living and hardship. To those people that work in consumption sites, they "do something" for others. This is powerful information, and it fits in nicely with another one of my favorite phrases, "knowledge is power". This is also a post that I am going to end by saying, "take what you like and leave the rest". Never be afraid to "do something".