Opioids still exact heavy toll on Waterloo’s homeless
Estimated 30 people locally have died since last fall as ‘the risk of overdose far outweighs the risk of COVID’
WATERLOO REGION — Housing advocates estimate 30 people have died in Kitchener-Waterloo since last fall, as the opioid crisis continues to exact a heavy toll.
“The risk of overdose far outweighs the risk of COVID” among the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, said Stephanie Mancini of the Working Centre.
And as bleak as that number is, it’s only half the story, she said.
“There is a much higher number of overdoses that do not result in death, but still cause physical trauma and hardship.”
Though it’s hard to pin down a number, the Overdose Monitoring Alert and Response System issued alerts earlier this month after six people died of overdoses in the first 10 days of February.
Rob Crossan, deputy chief of the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services, said the region is certainly seeing more opioid deaths.
“We did record a record high number of overdoses and overdose deaths in 2020, so that number is likely a good estimate,” he said of the Working Centre numbers.
There are real people behind that statistic, Mancini said.
“People are so much more than their substance use, and the stigma that is associated with this,” she said. “We walk with people every day who face this risk, who work towards more stability in their lives, and who are creative, dynamic and enjoyable people to be with in community.”
Nadine Green, an advocate for the homeless who informally runs A Better Tent City in Kitchener at Lot42, where about 50 people live in heated one-room cabins, agrees.
The dangerous forms of fentanyl that continue to circulate in the community are a big concern, she added.
Despite the recent cold that saw overnight lows that dipped as low as -22 C, no one has frozen to death on the streets.
“It is freezing,” Green said. “There’s some people staying outside, but they’re all still alive.”
Life is easier for hundreds of people at risk of homelessness who have accessed emergency housing in local hotels and dorms, but some people remain vulnerable, advocates say.
“We are quite overwhelmed trying to keep up,” said Joe Mancini, also of the Working Centre. “We have seen overdose deaths, encampment fires, people dying in tents, people winter camping.”
Green delivers meals as part of Beautiful Souls Battling Hunger in KW, a volunteer community outreach group. Every day she delivers meals to people huddled in alleyways and doorways, who she assumes have no other place to shelter.
The pandemic forced a rethinking of the traditional shelter system, which now has about 365 beds, some of them in hotels and dorms, where residents have access to supports such as health care, mental health and addiction supports.
And even the improved system doesn’t serve everyone, Joe Mancini said. There are few shelter options for women and youth, as well as for couples, people with pets and people whose behaviour or addiction issues have led to them being barred from many shelters.
But Joe figures there are still “a good 100 people” who are still on the streets or camping, and coming to St. John’s Kitchen to get food, and use the washrooms, showers and laundry.
Safe, stable housing is definitely part of the solution, says Stephanie Mancini.
“Letting people fend for themselves, camping, scrounging for drugs with no chance for stable housing, will lead to more overdoses,” she warns.
But the most immediate need, she said, is a safe drug supply for these vulnerable people, many of whom turned to drugs because of past trauma. Food, work and a sense of belonging are also key.
Advocates worry that the improvements that have been made could disappear. The Working Centre houses about 80 people at a residence on University Avenue, but doesn’t have funding past August, while other sites could close as soon as April.
The reality is that social assistance rates provide a housing allowance of about $360 a month, and until that changes, some people will be homeless, Mancini says.
“The chances of finding a unit for under $700 is pretty well nil. So they look to their buddies and go from friend to friend and say, ‘Can I sleep on your couch?’”