Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Mike Howell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) DRIVE ON TO INCLUDE ADDICTS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD As Devon MacFarlane sees it, drug addicts and alcoholics have been living around Commercial Drive as long as the community has been there. So rather than pit residents against addicts, MacFarlane organized a community forum for Thursday to bring both sides together to create a harmonious neighbourhood. "It's about trying to break down the 'us versus them' scenario so that we're all in this together," said MacFarlane, a community worker with the North Health Office of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority at Commercial Drive and East 1st Avenue. "Basically, we're looking at how do we make the best neighbourhood possible." MacFarlane, however, admits it won't be easy since residents and business owners have clear views on drug and alcohol addiction and how it fuels break-ins and street disorder. Thursday's meeting, at 7 p.m. at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre at 1607 East Hastings, will develop a list of neighbourhood concerns to discuss in workshops. From there, various actions could be taken such as lobbying governments and organizations for shelter space for homeless adults and youth. Currently, none exists along the Drive. MacFarlane said provincial government cuts to housing and social programs have created more visible homelessness on the Drive. That fact coupled with the police's crackdown on drug dealers in the Downtown Eastside last year-which arguably pushed more dealers and addicts to the Drive-alarmed many residents. MacFarlane created the Grandview-Woodland Drug and Alcohol Coalition last fall. Members include community health workers, residents, addicts and a representative of the local community policing centre. Patricia LaNauze, project development coordinator for the Women's Addiction Foundation, joined the coalition to work with the Drive neighbourhood to build a recovery house for addicted women. For three years, the foundation has been attempting to raise money for an unspecified site in the Drive area, said LaNauze, noting there is only one such centre in the city. "We don't want to spring ourselves on the neighbourhood, we want the neighbourhood to be part of the process," she said. "There's nothing in the area [for women], and if you look at the cycle of addiction, there's a fall-off after treatment. Those first days after treatment are really critical because the chances of them using again is fairly high." Complementing the coalition's effort to address addiction problems has been Joji's Hair School, near the corner of Napier and Commercial. The school recently launched Adopt-A-Block, in conjunction with the Grandview-Woodland community policing centre, to clean up the Drive and make the streets and alleys less attractive for drug dealers. At least once a week, the 50 or so students take shovels, rakes, gloves and tongs to pick up used needles, condoms and other garbage along the Drive. The start of the hairdressing school's campaign began coincidentally as the drug squad conducted an undercover project on the Drive, making 46 drug buys that led to 56 charges. Police identified 27 dealers, including 11 who had previous offences for drug dealing. The most popular drug being sold was marijuana, followed by cocaine. "Commercial Drive is a great place, but we're just trying to address some of the problems and improve it," MacFarlane said. "The police are only one part of it, but people turn to them as if they have it in their mandate to do everything. They can only do such much." - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager