A rusted green van with flat tires sits in the back of a big box store parking lot.
The vehicle belongs to a 47-year-old man, who only wants to be identified as Patrick. He does not want his last name revealed because he is embarrassed by his living conditions.
"I am almost going on five years in my van now, I have pretty much everything I own inside," he said.
Patrick ended up losing his job as a skilled labourer in Abbotsford, B.C, after a motorcycle accident left him badly injured. With no work and no steady income, he eventually lost his house as well.
"I am trying to get back on my feet, but it is hard," he said. "I need some help, and I have had appointments with outreach workers, but basically I was there waiting and no one showed up."
Navigating the suburban city’s support services has been difficult for Patrick. With his van unable to move, he has no transportation. He also doesn’t have regular access to a computer or phone.
"What has changed things for me, is having the S.O.R.T meet me here in the parking lot. If it wasn’t for them, I would be probably under a tarp or in a ditch."
The group he is referring to is the Abbotford Police Department’s Street Outreach Response Team (S.O.R.T), which is comprised of police officers and peer-support workers.
The program, which was launched in November 2018, is unique in that it combines the different group’s skills and resources, to build relationships with people experiencing homelessness, substance use, mental health challenges and other related issues.
"We are out in our community every day. Our role is engage with the homeless and other vulnerable people. We do this so we can build rapport and connect them to much-needed support services," said Const. Angela Scott, who has been with S.O.R.T for more than two-and-a-half years.
According to Abbotsford police, there are more than 100 different homeless camps throughout the city. One of the biggest challenges the team constantly faces is finding shelter or temporary housing for those looking to get off the street.
CEDAR Outreach executive director Kim Friesen works with S.O.R.T on a daily basis. She said "we need ample, low-barrier supportive housing and then we need detox and treatment on demand."
Friesen also said many people, living on the streets in Abbotsford, struggle with drug use. Along with the rest of the outreach team, she hands out harm reduction supplies, such as clean needles and life-saving nalaxone kits, when visiting the city’s many homeless encampments. It’s just one way she’s trying to save lives, as she works to combat the ongoing overdose crisis in the province.
"For me, the hope is that eventually the people I am helping will want to reach out and access detox and recovering supports. Until they do, I am going to try to reduce any harm they may face and hopefully keep them alive," said Friesen.
According to the B.C Coroners Service, there were 2,224 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2021, the most ever recorded in the province in a single year.
FENTANYL DETECTED IN MOST DEATHS
The highest numbers of those deaths were in the Fraser Health Authority region, which covers the city of Abbotsford.
"All of this makes it clear that the illicit drug market is increasingly dangerous, and those relying on it are of significant risk of harm and death," said chief coroner Lisa Lapointe. "These are terribly difficult days, and it is so disheartening to see so many lives cut short."
Preliminary data also shows that, fentanyl or its analogues, continue to be detected in most deaths. Last year, the powerful synthetic opioid was linked to 83 per cent of all overdoses.
In light of those devastating numbers, Scott says "what we do is difficult work because we lose people all the time and that weighs on us, but we need to keep going to try to help people because they face so many barriers. It is tough getting help all on your own."
Along with the difficulty in finding housing or shelter, members of the team say they often struggle to secure open detox beds for those wanting to access recovery.
"We need to keep detox and recovery on the table," said Friesen. "The way the province is going, more and more barriers are going up when we are trying to access detox and treatment."
According to Friesen, Fraser Health, which is responsible for community-based health services in the area, recently remxjmtzywoved the city’s rapid detox beds.
‘ALWAYS A WAIT TO GET IN’
CTV News asked the health authority to confirm the status of the beds, and after waiting five days for a response, a spokesperson acknowledged there had been changes in the region, with some services shifting to other cities.
"We opened Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinics at Chilliwack General Hospital and the Mission Mental Health and Substance Use Centre in 2021. The RAAC clinics provide people in Fraser East who are addressing substance-use concerns with low-barrier, responsive care with an aim of assessment, initial stabilization and transition to community-based services."
As for the province, a spokesperson from the ministry of mental health and addictions says "there are 3,201 publicly funded and youth community substance use beds." However, when it comes to detox or immediate withdrawal management options, there are only 228 spaces in all of B.C.
Detox services are meant to help people experiencing acute withdrawal from substances in a medically-monitored inpatient or outpatient program.
"It is heartbreaking as there is always a wait to get in," said Friesen. "From the time you make that phone call, and if all the stars align, you will probably be in a detox bed in two or three weeks. That is if you haven’t overdosed and died."
Adding to that, Scott said "addiction is rooted in some form of trauma and we need to understand that and meet people where they are at. We won’t give up on people. We will keep trying and sometimes it is just those small little victories that we really relish in."
As for Patrick, with the help of S.O.R.T members, he has now accessed several support services. He has also managed to get his name on a low-barrier housing waitlist.
"It has been a long time since I have felt like I have been humanely treated," he said. "The team has really helped me out and with their support I am hopeful that my life will get better."
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The outreach team approaches an encampment under a highway overpass (CTV News)
