A look inside the temporary homeless shelter being operated by Safe Harbour Society during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

doing the best they can

Spirits remain high among those helping Red Deer’s most vulnerable

May 1, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Morale remains high among front-line workers who continue to help Red Deer’s most vulnerable citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the city’s Overdose Prevention Site, operated by Turning Point, the number of available booths went from four to two in mid-March due to physical distancing regulations.

But in April, there were still 106 overdoses at the site, more than half the highest monthly total the facility has seen (178 in Jan. 2020).

The math there isn’t good, says Clinical Manager Sarah Fleck, who oversees operation of the OPS. She says it’s hard to say for sure if there’s any connection to a drug shortage, but one thing for sure is that drugs circulating in the city right now are stronger than usual.

“What we know is that people are buying a drug on the street called ‘heroin’ or ‘morphine,’ but it’s actually who knows what. It could be several types of fentanyl put together,” says Fleck, speaking to rdnewsNOW on April 30, or what is known as the National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis.

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She says many communities are asking for government help to provide a safe drug supply, but to date those types of programs are sparse, with Vancouver leading the way.

As for COVID-19, “Everybody including our staff and clients are acutely aware of the impact the pandemic could have if it reached the [homeless and drug-using] population,” Fleck says. “Lots of the time, they are in close contact with other people because that’s just how they have to be. They do not have a home so that they can maintain physical distancing.”

All visits to the OPS, more than 100 daily, include a full assessment for both clients and staff. As well, liaisons from Turning Point continue to go out into the community to provide cleaning and engage with business owners.

“People have shifted their focus. Not that it’s survival mode, but a mode where we have to prioritize what we’re dealing with and managing,” Fleck explains. “But there is still a really heavy stigma on people living with substance use disorder, and people assuming it’s a certain type of person that’s affected. That’s what creates barriers for our loved ones who we don’t know are struggling.”

Next door and down the street where Safe Harbour Society is operating its main facility and overflow shelters, things are going fairly smoothly, according to Executive Director Kath Hoffman.

“The new space has provided us with lots of room to distance. That was a big relief for the staff and clients, and was a big improvement from the trailers we were in. The space is huge, which itself has been challenging, but the City and the province have been working hard to make sure we’ve got what we need in there.”

Hoffman says their biggest challenge is ensuring users of the facility are also maintaining physical distancing when off-site. But she points out they’re typically not going far because the only washroom they have access to is at the shelter.

“Certainly we are right on track with everything AHS is mandating for the pandemic. Everybody providing shelter is working on an outbreak plan with the help of AHS and how we will manage in our location if we have an outbreak,” she says, referencing confirmed cases of COVID-19 at a Calgary drop-in centre.

“If we know someone at the shelter who’s positive – a client or staff member — that staff who are working have to leave and isolate for 14 days, so then who’s going to work. We have to over-hire right now, and we have to expand our reach internally for staff. That poses its challenges.”

Hoffman says only a very small amount of people have presented at the shelter with symptoms, and that they’ve dealt with no confirmed cases to date. There is isolation space for detox clients, and people are using isolation rooms at select local hotels if they’ve been mandated to quarantine.

“Like the rest of the world, we’re still off-balance.” says Hoffman. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”