Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jan 2013
Source: Monday Magazine (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Monday Publications
Contact: http://mondaymag.com/contact/
Website: http://www.mondaymag.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1150
Author: Colin Cayer

'YES' IN MY BACKYARD

Fernwood residents now ready to support a fixed-site needle exchange

A fixed-site needle exchange can be described as nothing if not
contentious, but thanks to support from residents in Fernwood, one
will again find a home.

After Victoria's only fixed-site needle exchange on Cormorant Street
closed more than four years ago due to pressure from residents, it
came as a surprise to many when the Vancouver Island Health Authority
(VIHA) announced its plans this past December to expand not one, but
two health service hubs offering harm reduction services. Both "Hub
One" at 713 Johnson and "Hub Two" at 1123 Pembroke will offer a needle
exchange and more.

While many residents are still holding onto the not-in-my-back-yard
(NIMBY) view, a growing number of Fernwood residents are in complete
support.

"Anyone who finds a needle in their neighbourhood is going to be upset
by it," says Andrea Langlois. "I also think if a child or dog had ever
been poked by a needle, we'd have heard about it. What upsets me is
that I think people are using the word 'needle' to really mean 'a
certain type of person' isn't welcome."

Langlois has owned a home in Fernwood for three years. She is two
blocks away from the Pembroke site.

"I moved to Fernwood because it's an eclectic, inclusive culture," she
says. "We work with our neighbours."

The Cook Street Health Unit was termed Hub Two with the December roll
out. The new services will expand on those already in place, including
addictions group counselling for those in early recovery, sobriety
assessment, rehabilitation and skill-developing, and enhanced harm
reduction supplies - including clean needles.

Clients can access primary care services on evenings and weekends, and
will benefit from stronger connections to housing and support
facilities, art and related activities, peer support and aboriginal
services.

"As a parent of a six-year-old, we're concerned about safety. These
people [who use drugs] are a part of my community. They're part of our
fabric and I'm proud to tell my son, 'this is how we treat people in
our community,'" says Eric Kaye, four-year home owner and former
director of the Fernwood Community Association.

On the subject of depreciating housing values, he adds, "I don't buy
it. I used to live across from a transitional house and no one even
noticed it was there."

But while the success of harm-reduction has been backed up with
scientific studies, in a culture that condemns drugs and the people
who use them, the fear NIMBY supporters are expressing makes sense.

"It's important to note that harm reduction doesn't condone drug use.
It simply seeks to service a problem that's already there. I've seen
surveys that show people support these services by about 50 per cent,
so I'm sure there are more people in Fernwood who are pro harm
reduction and aren't saying much because they are already in agreement
with VIHA," says Kathleen Perkin, Fernwood resident since 2005.

"This is a proven way to combat the spread of disease."

Adverse reactions to the fixed-site needle service haven't come from
out of the blue. City Coun. Lisa Helps can see why people are having a
difficult time getting on board with VIHA's plans.

"I actually completely understand where those opposed are coming from.
Cormorant Street was such a disaster. That's the picture people have
[of a fixed-sight needle exchange], but there are two significant
differences with the Pembroke and Johnson Street locations," says
Helps. "First, Cormorant was run by AVI [AIDS Vancouver Island] and it
had far less funding. They had more and more people coming and could
serve fewer and fewer. Second, VIHA has had a complete change in
perspective and began viewing this as a health issue. That's the part
I'm most excited about."

Helps says she's always thought access to these services was a health
issue.

"It's a health issue for drug users and it's a health issue for those
finding needles. The entire model is [now] different," she says. "It's
right in the name 'Access Health Centre' and it's run by the Vancouver
Island Health Authority."
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MAP posted-by: Matt