Proposed criteria for 15 homeless hubs would permit drug use. Why weren’t Londoners consulted earlier?
CTV
A local member of parliament is calling for public input before council decides if the use of illegal drugs will be permitted at service hubs for Londoners living unsheltered.
A local member of parliament is calling for public input before council decides if the use of illegal drugs will be permitted at service hubs for Londoners living unsheltered.
The proposed criteria for 15 low barrier hubs that would be part of London’s $247.5 million Whole of Community Response to Homelessness include permitting illegal drugs to be used on site as part of a continuum of harm reduction care.
“Some people may select or choose to use on site, others may not,” explained Deputy City Manager of Social and Health Development, Kevin Dickins.
Specifically, a report going to city council for approval next week describes the substance use support and treatment continuum.
“This continuum spans the breadth of known and to-be-known services from: distributing new equipment to addiction treatment,” reads the report. “The continuum recognizes that the self-determined goals of abstinence and harm reduction are equally-valued and interrelated goals of care.”
However, Dickens emphasized that the hubs would not be supervised drug consumption facilities like the Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service at 446 York St.
“Some people may use drugs on [a hub] site. These are not safe consumption sites. These are not safe consumption facilities,” he said.
