‘Decampment isn’t a solution to anything’: Report looks at toll of eviction on people who use drugs
A new report is providing insight into the impact people who use drugs face after an eviction.
The report titled, “It's no foundation, there's no stabilization, you're just scattered”: A qualitative study of the institutional circuit of recently-evicted people who use drugs,” surveyed dozens of people on the Downtown Eastside.
It found that evictions led to an institutional circuit of homelessness.
Study author Ryan McNeil, an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine, told CTV News the research is timely, given the City of Vancouver’s decision to remove tents in the neighborhood.
“People are either going to cycle constantly to new camping locations trying to eke out survival as they’re perpetually and constantly displaced,” he said. “They're going to temporarily stay with friends, placing them at increased risk of eviction and creating a further cycle that only worsens the whole of the situation. Decampment isn’t a solution to anything.”
Karen Ward, a drug policy advisor said since the decampment began on April 5, residents have been displaced and some are facing numerous barriers — including accessing drugs.
“If they use drugs, they have someone that they go to — their supplier and then they get something similar all the time or at least regularly,” she said. “They have to break up that connection if they don’t find them and they’re at very high risk of an overdose. Very high-risk, because they don’t know what their dose is.”
The province and Mayor Ken Sim have defended their actions, saying the neighborhood has become unsafe due to violence and fires. On Friday, the city issued a news release saying crews removed 94 structures and that over 71 personal storage totes were provided to people.
“It’s unconscionable”
McNeil said the research shows that what the city is doing will only lead to increased suffering and death.
“It’s unconscionable that anybody would push forward with that as a strategy,” he said. “We’re constantly hearing this idea that this has to be done for the purposes of public safety, but I think we need to ask, whose safety are we talking about? Because it certainly isn’t the safety of people who are being displaced by police and by city crews right now.”
When asked to comment on the report, the Ministry of Housing provided a statement to CTV News, saying, “without an in-depth analysis of the academic report it’s difficult to provide comment, but it certainly affirms our understanding that homelessness has tremendous negative impacts on the lives and health of people without homes.”
Vancouver Coastal Health employees issue letter
On Friday, 44 employees of Vancouver Coastal Health published a letter in The Georgia Straight, denouncing the decampment, as well as their employer.
Fraser MacPherson, a registered nurse, told CTV News that himself and other frontline workers initiated the letter because they were disturbed by the institutional silence from Vancouver Coastal Health.
“I'm not comfortable continuing to do this work and not say anything about how significantly this is harming people,” he said. “It is my job to also push back against the employer, because my patients and my clients who are experiencing all of this harm over the last week are not in a place to do that. Folks are trying to survive.”
MacPherson said since the mass decampment, outreach workers have struggled to connect with clients. He said he knows of folks who use drugs who have missed doses of medication, has heard of people unable to access Overdose Prevention Sites and knows of others who have felt intimidated because of the increased police presence in the area.
“It's just been such chaos. And so dehumanizing,” MacPherson said.
In a statement to CTV News, Vancouver Coastal Health said it’s aware of the open letter and takes the concerns outlined it in seriously.
“VCH is committed to providing care to those who need it, especially our most vulnerable populations during the recent City of Vancouver-led decampment,” the statement said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I recognize these footsteps': How Trump and 'coyote' smuggling changed life at the border
Bent signs bolted to the rail threaten fines and imprisonment should violators cross the boundary into the United States, a warning many people are choosing to ignore simply by walking around the barrier.
Stanley cups recalled over 'burn hazard'
A recall notice is in effect for a selection of Stanley travel mugs, warning consumers to 'immediately stop using' them.
She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet's partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
Video shows moments before a plane crashes into a busy Texas intersection
Four people sustained non-life-threatening injuries after a small plane crashed into a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, Wednesday.
Law firm warns $47.8B First Nations child welfare reforms could be lost with election
A legal review commissioned by the Assembly of First Nations is warning a $47.8-billion deal to reform the First Nations child welfare system could be moot if there's a change in government in the upcoming year.
Producers of Netflix hit 'Love is Blind' accused of U.S. labour law violations
The producers of Netflix's hit reality dating show 'Love is Blind' have been accused by a U.S. labour board of attempting to strip cast members of their rights to discuss working conditions and speak publicly about their experiences.
'Enough is enough': Doug Ford says Ontario could hand encampment drug users $10,000 fines, prison
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is introducing a suite of measures to help municipalities “address and dismantle” homeless encampments around the province, including steep fines for people who use drugs.
Weather warnings for hazardous conditions in parts of Canada
Canadians will experience contrasting weather on Thursday, from warmer temperatures in the Maritimes to extreme cold in parts of Ontario, the Prairies and the North.
Indian Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, becomes the youngest ever chess world champion
Teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest-ever undisputed classical chess world champion after beating Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in their best-of-14 final in Singapore on Thursday.