Needle Exchange Update

VIHA has identified a potential new location for a fixed needle distribution site. It’s in the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood just north of the Downtown border on Princess Street.

Members of the DRA have been part of VIHA’s Needle Exchange Advisory committee and its spin-off, the Site Selection Subcommittee. We find that this site–while far from perfect–meets many of the requirements a successful needle exchange needs.

The Times Colonist reports on it here, although it weighs heavily on the opinions expressed by members of SOLID (Society of Living Intravenous Drug users). It should be noted that the spokesperson for SOLID may not necessarily reflect the views of the SOLID Board or membership, let alone the opinions of Victoria’s drug users.

In a July 23 letter to the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Needle Exchange Advisory Committee, a group calling itself SOLID — Society for Living Intravenous Drug Users — said a proposed site on Princess Street was inappropriate. No address was given.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Times Colonist, said the area is known to drug users as “extremely dangerous and violent due to street gang activity,” and any attempt at extra policing would only scare away needle-exchange clients.

The area is a few steps away from Government Street’s prostitute stroll. I’m not aware of any other extraordinary “gang” activity here and I’m certain the Vic PD would agree.

SOLID, listed as a member of the Needle Exchange Advisory Committee, also said that the site was too far from downtown services, buildings were badly maintained and unsuitable for a health service and current tenants would have to be displaced.

The site is relatively close to needed services. The compactness of Downtown Victoria gives the illusion of being far. Superimpose Victoria’s services onto a map of Vancouver or any other large city and the distances appear much closer.

The houses need minimal upgrades to meet requirements according to VIHA–not much more than was done at their comparable Nanaimo exchange.

It’s true that current tenants will be displaced but the landlord assures us accomodation will be made at his other properties. Still, there would be a net loss of low-income housing.

The letter argues 941 Pandora Ave., the site of the old St. John’s Ambulance Society, is still the best site for a needle exchange.

But the exchange, and the accompanying drug trade, would destabilize the 900 block Pandora which is already at critical mass for chaos. The residents (including Our Place) deserve a home free from public disorder.

900 Block Pandora GNA

Times Colonist photo

This afternoon at the Victoria Conservatory of Music I (on behalf of the DRA) signed a Good Neighbour Agreement for the 900 block of Pandora. Other signees included VIHA, the VCM, Our Place, The City of Victoria, the North Park Neighbourhood Association and some of the retailers along the block, including McDonald’s. The Times Colonist reports here.

It was several months in the making and we hope it will help open lines of communication in this busy block.

Any Good Neighbour Agreement isn’t a magic bullet. Many things need to happen to ensure safety and vibrancy in a neighbourhood and a GNA is only a small part.

It does mean that everyone in the block takes some responsibility for ensuring the health of the street, from sidewalk cleaning to informing neighbours and police about criminal activity.

Social issues meeting follow-up

UPDATE April 2, 2009: More impressions by Yule Heibel and Davin Greenwell

Our Monday night event, On The Front Lines: Community Solutions for Homelessness and Social Issues, was a great success. A good sized crowd attended to hear the latest on policing, justice and social issues from Police Chief Jamie Graham, Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, GV Coalition to End Homelessness director Jill Clements and the DVBA’s Ken Kelly.

Ken gave us an update on Downtown initiatives from the business standpoint, including the Clean Team, Con-Air, Retail C.O.P. and the Clean and Safe Committee. Charlayne and Jill got us up to speed with the Mayor’s Task Force and the Coalition including how they’ve reached the first year goal of housing 200 people.

But it was Chief Graham who received the most interest, with residents wanting answers on a diverse range of topics including jaywalking, camping in parks, open drug use and calling 911.

On the latter topic, Graham was clear: don’t hesitate to call 911 if you see something illegal or you feel someone’s safety is in question. It’s true your call will be queued and you might not get an immediate response, especially if it’s a busy time. But you need to call because this information is needed to track crime hotspots. And the Chief said, even if he were to be driving by the area by chance when the call came in he wouldn’t hesitate to investigate it himself.

Graham gave no opinion on the topic of safe injection sites, saying he would let politicians decide and he will enforce whatever law is in place.

The Times Colonist follows up on our meeting here “Police Chief: Victoria’s Drug Problem Not as Big as Some Say“:

“From experts in the field that go undercover, and trust me they are undercover to try to buy drugs, they are not there in the kind of volume you might think. When over a period of two weeks or so we end up with only 12 or 15 arrests, those numbers are really small,” Graham said.

Overall, Graham said, Victoria has a small group of hard-core drug users.

“It’s not widespread. It’s small. They’re disruptive and we know they create difficulties.”

The Times Colonist further expands on Graham’s comments in this editorial “The Real Downtown Problem“:

“Many of the issues our officers are sent to, they act almost as referees,” Graham said, adding the most common calls city police respond to are reports of alcohol-related disorder — people yelling or screaming, arguments, doors being slammed or pushing and shoving.

By comparison, a recently completed undercover operation in Victoria was hard-pressed to turn up any drugs or arrests at all. Over the course of two weeks, police made only about a dozen arrests, and undercover officers reported surprise at how difficult it was to buy illegal drugs.

This is not to downplay the need to deal with the illegal drug trade in downtown Victoria: One need only look at the numbers from needle exchanges and social agencies to be assured the problem is very real. And those addicted to illegal drugs should have every opportunity to seek help and get the treatment they need.

But alcohol is just a different kind of drug — the only difference is that it’s legal. That doesn’t make the fallout from its abuse any less harmful to individuals, families and communities.

The DRA is happy to have sponsored this talk which has spurred some thoughtful dialogue in the community. We look forward to talking to our guests in the future and look forward to hearing about more progress.U

TC: Urban Safety on Town Hall Agenda

Urban safety on town-hall agenda

Times Colonist
March 30, 2009

Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham will address the forum, which will also include representatives from city council, the Downtown Victoria Business Association and the Coalition to End Homelessness. “We’re going to have an opportunity for these people to get up … and just talk about what the issues are and how they’re handling them,” said Robert Randall, chair of the Downtown Residents Association.

Victoria’s downtown is much like a huge “dysfunctional” family with many competing interests, Randall said.

“It’s really complex. In some ways it’s getting a lot better. We’re seeing a lot of really positive work from some of angles. We’re seeing more residents in the downtown and lot of good businesses opening up so a lot of the dead parts of downtown that you really didn’t want to go to are now walkable.

“The needle exchange is gone, so Cormorant Street is now a place you no longer avoid, but at the same time, Pandora’s getting a bit dicey although it’s still safe,” Randall said.

On the down side, Randall said, the downtown is beginning to see the emergence of a new breed of more aggressive drug dealers.

“That’s a bit worrying. So [the downtown] is going in both directions,” he said. “Overall I’m optimistic but I’m troubled about these continuing trends.

Event: On The Front Lines: Community Solutions for Homelessness and Social Issues

The Downtown Residents’ Association is presenting a special event for all residents of Downtown:

On The Front Lines: Community Solutions for Homelessness and Social Issues

Monday, March 30, 7 p.m – 9 p.m.
City Hall Antechamber, Centennial Square

A meeting for residents of Downtown/Harris Green to hear about some ground-breaking solutions for homelessness, crime, safety and other social issues that concern us all. We’ve gathered the experts who will be able to answer your questions. Join us for Silk Road Tea and snacks and an evening of informative discussion. Open to all DRA members. Please bring a neighbour!

Schedule:

Introduction by Robert Randall, DRA

Vic PD Chief Jamie Graham and Inspector Jamie Pearce on Downtown Security

Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe on the Mayor’s Task Force and our homeless population

Jill Clements of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness on the Coalition, its goals and achievements

Ken Kelly of the Downtown Victoria Business Association on the Clean and Safe Team, Con Air and the Community Court Program

Question and answer session follows

I hope to see you there! This event is free and no pre-registration is required.

Our newest needle exchange

The folks at Harm Reduction Victoria have stirred things up in Downtown. Their ad-hoc needle exchange, located in Harris Green park near St. Andrew’s Elementary distributed needles as a response to the closing earlier this year of the Cormorant exchange.

Their deliberate tactic of distributing in an already problematic area is causing frustration with the existing stakeholders who have been spending the last few months crafting the terms under which an exchange can operate. This includes adequate staffing and funding that ensures a minimum of disruption to our neighbourhood. Footage from A News showed City employees cleaning up a large amount of drug-related paraphernalia near the site of the impromptu exchange. One police officer noted seeing uncapped syringes–something virtually unheard of normally.

Here’s a recent Op-Ed piece by Bruce Wallace of Harm Reduction Victoria on the need for a new exchange. An excerpt:

VIHA and the city need to spend less time on appeasing neighbourhood associations and private schools and much more time and resources replacing the inadequate Cormorant facility with the implementation of comprehensive primary health care services for those affected by drug use and poverty.

There is overall consensus to not simply replace the old Cormorant facility with the same services in a new location. We have heard support for the development of multiple, integrated safe consumption services from the city, the police, the provincial health officer, service providers and drug users. The feasibility study for such services was commissioned by the city and VIHA, completed by Benedikt Fisher in April and hopefully not shelved.

It is the opinion of the Downtown Residents’ Association that needle exchanges must have adequate support systems in place, including security, staffing and a code of conduct/good neighbour agreement. Harm reduction means caring for the health concerns of all citizens, not just intravenous drug users, and Hep-C laden needles on our streets constitute a health concern.

Mr. Wallace, nobody is appeasing the DRA. We are fighting for the same thing you are, an adequately run needle exchange as part of a comprehensive harm-reduction strategy.

Monday and Times Colonist endorse Randall

Times Colonist:

A guide to voting this Saturday

Robert Randall, Lynn Hunter and Barry Hobbis have all demonstrated that they would be assets to council; Randall brings welcome experience as a representative of downtown residents and regularly attends council meetings as an interested observer.

Monday Magazine:

City on the verge

As well as being chair of the Downtown Resident’s Association and a familiar face at council meetings, Randall is a working artist and, as such, would be a much-needed strong voice for the arts on council.

It’s disappointing not to see Chris Coleman’s name on the list. He’s a hard worker (his specialty is housing initiatives) who deserves your vote. Likewise, Geoff Young’s reputation as a financial watchdog makes him worthy of your consideration. He’s also a commuter cyclist like me and is very pro-transportation.

Harm reduction survey

This survey got lost in the more than 24 questionnaires that have been lobbed at me. I might have missed the deadline but I’m putting it here anyway.

1. Do you favour the re-opening of a fixed site needle exchange in the city of Victoria?

Yes, with additional supports like satellite sites including pharmacies and VIHA clinics. This is dependent on adequate funding. The members of the Downtown Residents’ Association are concerned the mistakes of the Cormorant exchange will be repeated elsewhere. This is why we advocate sustained and adequate funding from VIHA.

2. Do you support the opening of a safe consumption site (like that of InSite in Vancouver) for the City of Victoria?

Supervised consumption has been proven beneficial. Multiple sites would be appropriate for Victoria.

3. What does the term harm reduction mean to you?

It means treating addiction as the health problem it is and taking the steps necessary to get addicts stable and healthy.

4.  What role do you see harm reduction playing in the creation of a healthy, thriving Victoria?

Solving addiction issues is crucial to the well-being of Victoria. Residents, businesses and tourists depend on it.

5. What actions will you take to ensure the City of Victoria follows the principals of harm reduction?

Commitment to making sure the findings of the Mayor’s Task Force are followed through. Co-operating with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to ensure addicts are given the opportunity to turn their lives around.

6. What is your position on the current ‘war on drugs’ and the Victoria Police Department’s approach to substance use and users?

It’s ineffective. Our focus must be on punishing those that prey on addicts and helping addicts get the help they need. A Community Court similar to the ones in New York, Portland and Vancouver is something I advocate. It is more effective and more humane than present strategies.

7. What, if any, alternative approaches to current drug laws have you considered? Please describe.

The NAOMI project is one. Giving opiates to addicts instead of letting them buy it on the black market would require commitment from other levels of government but it is worth considering.

8. What further commitments or additional comments would you like to make on your position on drug use and harm reduction, as they affect your candidacy?

My goal has always been one of getting addicts the help they need. I have been following this issues through my work as Chair of the DRA as well as a member of the Downtown Service Providers and the DVBA’s Clean and Safe Committee. There I learn from front-line leaders in the harm reduction field and I’ve learned a lot from them.

TC: One year later, streets are worse

Just enough time this morning to dash off a post regarding a hard-hitting editorial in today’s Times Colonist: One year later, streets are worse.

And, increasingly, the coalition looks to be a way for Victoria’s council — and others in the capital region — to pretend to be taking action, while failing to get people off the streets and out of the parks.

What happened to the commitment, embraced by Mayor Alan Lowe, to have 315 people placed in “affordable, supported housing” by now? Or, for that matter, the mayor’s pledge to have the 50 most troublesome people off the streets within 120 days of the task force report’s release?

Neither commitment was kept.

I’m confused with this. I was at a lot of meetings where the “worst 50″ were discussed and I’m under the impression most, if not all were being housed. Not only that, many were in market housing which means more resources are spent on others. I’ll follow up with this.

Pandora’s Box

A Times-Colonist reporter phoned me this afternoon wanting to know what Downtown residents felt about the Our Place shelter now that it’s had a few weeks to settle into its new neighbourhood. Apparently the neighbouring businesses are upset at the level of social disorder on the block.

I explained to him that while the DRA supports the shelter concept, some our members are frustrated with the social disorder in the 1000 block Pandora. Most of us appreciate the necessity of a shelter, in particular the myriad of services it provides, from hot showers and laundry to meals and counselling services. But many of us are asking: at what price do these services get delivered? Pandora Street, with its broad avenue bisected by a wide public green space, is a primary pedestrian corridor for Fernwood residents coming into the Downtown core. Some feel like they are “running the gauntlet” simply by coming into town.

The problem often isn’t the shelter users, it includes the hangers-on. Friends and associates of Our Place “clients”, some of whom are involved in the drug trade, a situation some of us feel will be exacerbated if a proposed needle exchange moves in next door.

So what’s the solution? This is what I struggled with as I talked to the reporter. We can’t move the shelter. We can’t arrest them for merely lingering on streetcorners. Simply put, we can do the following:

- Spread the facilities around the city. Don’t create a social ghetto.

- Be aggressive when it comes to giving the homeless opportunities to improve their lives. Discourage charities that sustain anti-social lifestyles. The primary goal is to re-integrate them into society.

- The worst of the worst must be taken out of their environment. These are people suffering from extreme mental illness and addiction issues. For many of these “dual diagnosis” individuals institutional treatment is the most humane gift we can give them.

- Justice reform (including Community Courts) must be implemented so that those that prey on others and deserve punishment actually get it.

- Specifically dealing with Harris Green, the City could offer incentives so that present commercial operations stay and new retail and residential opportunities become more attractive. This could include giving developers a tax holiday or bonus density in return for bringing life into this half-empty block.

That’s just a start. There’s a lot more we could do but the most important thing is not allowing conditions on Pandora Street get worse.