Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober has sent a letter to Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside, explaining that his community has seen a notable rise in homelessness and says the strategies to address the opioid crisis aren’t working as intended.
“We’re concerned that old strategies of providing homeless shelter beds and warming spaces, and strategies to handle the opioid crisis such as legalizing the use, handing out safer supplies, and training people in naloxone administration – are off target or simply insufficient for the realities of the situation,” writes Dober.
The community has seen an outcry from business owners and residents about consequences for personal safety and maintenance of property, added Dober, noting there are some direct correlations between mental health and addictions among the homeless population and issues brought forward by residents.
“While we don’t think mental health and addictions amongst the homeless population are responsible for all of our problems, there are some stories that directly correlate,” Dober noted.
One business owner couldn’t access her door and alarm system after someone was camping overnight on her steps, and the city is receiving regular calls from businesses over similar camping with the campers littering and leaving belongings or refusing to leave until RCMP are called, he explained.
Fires have also been lit right beside business buildings with the arrival of cold weather, continued the mayor, while a bank has closed its entrance lobby due to ATM vandalism, a teenager quit their after-school job because they didn’t feel safe going home, and parents have reported their kids have been chased and harassed by people in the streets.
Parents have also reported their children picking up needles and drug paraphernalia under park bleachers, while daycare workers have witnessed people using cocaine right outside their playground fence.
Over a hundred people identify as homeless in a community of less than 13,000, writes Dober, and says Dawson Creek is open to helping the vulnerable find their way forward to a better life.
“While we’ve seen the Province take initiatives to improve the system for mental health and addictions in cities such as Vancouver, we need to know when better solutions are coming for us. There is evidence of broken systems all over our city, and patience, compassion, and belief in our systems are running low as people try to cope,” added Dober, requesting a timeline update on provincial wraparound supports.
You can read the letter and memo in full here:
Memo From Mayor Dober by Tom Summer on Scribd
