The Canadian government announced Friday the investment of four million dollars in community organizations in Ottawa to “fight the overdose crisis, the harms linked to substance use, and the supply of toxic illegal drugs” which are rampant in the federal capital.
The funds, which are part of Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction Program, will be used to finance four projects managed by three organizations: the Order of Saint-Jean, the Community Self-Help Association Peers Against Addictions, and the Somerset West Community Health Center.
“The situation has really gotten worse,” says the executive director of the Somerset West Community Health Center, Suzanne Obiorah. “The unpredictability of the composition of drugs makes it increasingly difficult for community workers to respond with the tools we used in the past,” she explains, adding that the use of naloxone is increasingly necessary in the field.
The former head of Indigenous relations and social development at the City of Ottawa describes an “increasingly unpredictable and dangerous situation”, with overdoses “increasingly complex”, requiring “funds and resources additional”.
The community organization is therefore “very grateful” for the approximately $400,000 granted by the federal government. They will finance their prevention and education team, present 7 days a week in the field, in the evening, when other organizations are closed, indicates Mme Obiorah. “They meet people who use, who are at risk of overdosing and dying, by supporting them during consumption, or by directing them to services” for care, mental health or housing.
Some employees are themselves former drug users, who “have the trust of the community” and who want to help people escape this too often vicious circle, says M.me Obiorah. This makes it possible to intervene with people who, “often, would not have asked for help”.
Harm reduction projects also provide clean eating materials to prevent the transmission of disease. “This investment reduces substance-related risk, reduces the risk of individuals experiencing distress, reduces the strain we experience within our healthcare system, and improves the well-being of our community. »
Other recipient projects will include reducing “systemic stigma related to substance use” and distributing naloxone in homeless shelters.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.