Kenora, Ont., is in an 'unstoppable' homeless and addiction crisis, with few easy answers to solve it

When Donovan Bullied walks through downtown Kenora, he's hit with memories, most of them from the time he called the streets home.

He'd walk around all night to keep warm, which is not easy during a northwestern Ontario winter. Two years ago, he fell through the ice and was stuck in wet shoes for two weeks, and was left with permanent nerve damage, trench foot and frostbite.

But he said the worst pain he's experienced is the stigma of being homeless and using drugs.

Bullied is among the many people who've experienced homelessness and addiction in Kenora. He said he's faced discrimination, even abuse from the broader public. Community leaders and outreach workers attempting to find solutions say these deep social divisions are making a difficult task even harder. 

Bullied said he was kicked out of stores, pointed out and laughed at, and was told by someone who pulled over that they were going to throw things at him — before they recognized who he was. 

"This area represents some of the toughest and the hardest times of my life, but also the most abundant blessings that I've ever received through my sobriety in this community."

Bullied started using drugs when he was nine years old. Three months ago, he began his recovery from addiction. The 25-year-old receives treatment from the Sunset Country Family Health Team.

"I'm alive today because of their support and their love."

Dr. Jonny Grek of the Sunset Country Family Health Team sees first hand what people in the street community are going through. He treats patients wherever they're comfortable accessing services, like the Kenora Fellowship Centre or Ne-Chee Friendship Centre.

Grek has become increasingly concerned about the health and safety of his patients.

"We now have lots of new HIV cases, not great consolidated care for those people with HIV and a number of fatal overdoses," he said. "The situation just seems unstoppable at the moment."

The latest data from the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) shows a spike in HIV/AIDS cases over the past year. 

In 2022, there were nine confirmed cases in Kenora. In the previous eight years, there were only eight confirmed cases, according to NWHU data, and Grek has told CBC News he believes the numbers may be higher than official tallies. 

Lack of housing stock also remains a barrier. When a downtown property called Lila's Block burned down in 2019, a lot of vulnerable people were displaced.