St. Catharines Standard e-edition

Drug supplies found in public places part of ‘very complex’ substance use crisis

Harm-reduction program works with communities to clean up waste

RAY SPITERI RAY SPITERI IS A ST. CATHARINES-BASED REPORTER FOR THE NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW. RAYMOND.SPITERI@NIAGARADAILIES.COM

While helping to clean up areas across Niagara where discarded drug paraphernalia is found is important, the director of a harm reduction program says it’s also crucial to connect those people leaving the items behind to services that could turn their lives around.

“We do hear about it from time to time. It looks a little bit different in every municipality,” said Talia Storm, director of Streetworks services, a regional program that provides safer injection and inhalation supplies to individuals, when asked how often they’re contacted about syringes being found in parks, on trails and in other public places.

“But where we have the most success is when our team goes out and is able to actually connect with the folks who might be leaving the mess. We want to make sure that they have the biohazard bins available, let them know that we can take that biohazard back and dispose of it properly, but also connect them to any other services that they might require. We tend to see a more positive impact when we can have those conversations.”

Last week, Niagara Falls regional Coun. Bob Gale addressed city council about drug paraphernalia he and a fellow resident found along a section of the Millennium Recreational Trail in late December.

Coun. Lori Lococo suggested staff contact Streetworks, adding the group has helped the community in the past with cleaning up syringes.

Streetworks is a program offered by Positive Living Niagara, an agency that seeks to support people living with, or affected by, HIV, through education and prevention programs.

“Streetworks is coming at it from a harm reduction perspective, so specifically around substance use and trying to keep people as healthy as possible while they are engaged in active substance use,” said Storm.

She said Streetworks has cleanup groups that go out regularly in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland to check on areas where reports such as the one along the Millennium Recreational Trail are made.

“We work closely in St. Catharines with the parks department — we’re in regular communication there. As our capacity increases, we’re also looking to make those connections in other communities.”

Storm said there could be “any number” of reasons why drug supplies may be discarded in public places.

“Sometimes it’s lack of access to a spot to put it. We know that substance use is highly stigmatized, and so people tend to kind of seclude themselves to use in certain spots, or they might not want to have that paraphernalia in their homes, so they might be going out.”

She said what often happens is Streetworks will be alerted to an area where items are found, but by the time they get there, the area has already been cleaned up.

“Often, it’s a one-off, but there are occasions where it happens more than once and, again, that’s where it’s so important to connect with the people.”

Storm said while its main office is in St. Catharines, Streetworks is mobile five days a week, with two vans that cover the region, as well as multiple satellite sites.

“We are very grateful for a lot of the partners we have,” she said, adding when Streetworks is on mobile outreach, it is often accompanied by a nurse, or someone from Niagara Health’s Hepatitis C team, and an addictions counsellor.

Storm said substance use is “very complex” and that it’s important to look at root causes “if we’re ever going to get anywhere in this crisis.”

“When we look at poverty and homelessness and all of these other things, all of those can exacerbate the issue, and so until we address those root causes, unfortunately it feels like we’ll continue to spin our wheels in the mud,” she said.

“The folks that we support are human beings with stories, with families … and they deserve as much love and care and respect as anybody else.”

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2022-01-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://stcatharinesstandard.pressreader.com/article/281509344573926

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