On Dec. 7, an unusual opportunity arose in Sechelt.
A group of people who, for one reason or another, don’t have a permanent, safe place to live, showed up at District of Sechelt Council chambers and introduced themselves to councillors as the Sechelt Association of the Unhoused, and, as Keili Bartlett reported at the time, extended an “olive branch” to those in power.
“We believe that communication is the key to any healthy relationship and we’re hoping that this will be the first of many successful dialogues between our community and city hall,” said spokesperson Sean Hill.
The dialogue came weeks after the newly-elected council passed bylaw changes that would pave the way for the shutdown of an entrenched tent city on private land across from the Hightide supportive housing complex.
Now, those same people are scattered in smaller encampments, further out of sight, further away from emergency services.
The delegation also came a few weeks before the District of Sechelt – the municipality with the largest homeless population on the Sunshine Coast – failed to establish a warming centre before a frigid arctic air mass settled over the region.
At the end of the Dec. 7 delegation, Mayor John Henderson plugged his newly-formed Community Safety Task Force. “I want you to know that when we talk about that, that’s safety for everybody, including you.”
While perhaps unintentionally tone deaf – whose safety is more pressing than those with fewest material resources and the least political power? – it was its own kind of olive branch.
Now, I hope the mayor will stay true to his word.
When I think of safety, I think of people without homes in subzero temperatures. I think of people quietly suffering from opioid use disorder – deep in addiction or too fearful of backlash to seek help.
And despite that, I also see opportunity. As evidenced by one senior I accompanied while he dispensed harm reduction supplies from the back of his blue pickup truck in Sechelt, people are helping each other stay warm and prevent overdoses in the community, with or without the direct support of the District of Sechelt.
But if the new council is willing to make a stand and stand up for those actively suffering due to forces way outside their control, then I hope they will take a serious look at advocating for an inhalation amenity at the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS). And doubling down on their efforts to create an emergency shelter that welcomes people off the street day and night. This week’s cold snap and the picture of people layering on clothes as their only defence against bitter cold should be reason enough to get that work done.
As for the inhalation site, anecdotally, far more people are inhaling substances – including down and crystal meth – than they are injecting on the Sunshine Coast. But inhalation offers no protection from overdose. People need the option to use drugs safely. Right now, based on conversations with peers and advocates, the current facilities are misaligned with the reality.
I understand harm reduction not as a solution in and of itself – but as a way of preventing injury or death before a solution can be found. And as I leave this job (my last day is Dec. 30) but carry on reporting on the Sunshine Coast, I will watch whether this opportunity for dialogue – created by the Association of the Unhoused and reciprocated by the Mayor’s stated intention to keep the unhoused safe – will be taken in good faith and acted on promptly. Empty intentions are akin to inaction, and with lives on the line, that’s a moral crime that should be prevented at all costs.
Thanks to all the readers for reaching out over the years, thank you to the sources who have brought stories to the paper. It has been a privilege reporting at Coast Reporter.
