We live in Belleville, Ontario, on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, and with a population of 55,000 it's a great town that likes to call itself a city. We moved here for ministry but we're now in our seventh year of retirement and we have no plans to live anywhere else.
The past couple of days Belleville has been in the news everywhere because of a 24-hour crisis. In that span 17 people in the downtown overdosed on God knows what, 14 within an hour. There is a drop-in at Bridge St. United Church, the congregation I served and five people keeled over on the street outside the entrance, essentially simultaneously. Luckily, or providentially, no one died but it pushed first responders to the limit and left everyone shaken. Those afflicted were not responding to the administration of Narcon, which was really scary.
When I began at Bridge St. more than a decade ago I met some of those we termed street people as they came to our office for assistance but there were actually conversations about whether homelessness was an issue in the community. Since then it has become a huge issue with people "living rough" in pockets throughout the city. Illicit drugs are part of the issue and this crisis brought it all home.
Ruth volunteers at the Bridge St. UC meal ministry so she may well have chatted with some of those who overdosed. Many of them are friendly, funny, and kind -- she often returns home with a story of those who express gratitude. We also deliver baked goods donated by Cobbs Bakery once a month and invariably someone waiting outside offers to help. Yes, we've seen drug paraphernalia but we're more likely to exchange hellos.
These are human beings, loved by God, who are the flotsam and jetsam of a society which has robbed many people of meaning and enriched some who created a massive opioid industry with false promises. Those supposedly respectable drug lords -- think of the Sackler family -- haven't really faced personal consequences despite their complicity. None of them end up in prison, nor on the streets.
I pray that there won't be another 24 hours like this in Belleville and we can stay of the news. We have to find solutions, as challenging as that is proving to be across the country.
3 comments:
Thank you for these comments, David... my facebook page was, surprisingly, filled with positive comments about what BSUC is trying to do... and the need for the dealers to be caught and stopped. Hopefully, the politicians will really get serious this time and put some teeth to the promises, and get some proper facilities set up to help these poor folk.
Sadly, there are hundreds of Belleville's across the country - cities, towns, villages, where people are struggling with addictions and mental health issues. Many of them are on their own, shunned by their families and friends, and living on the streets where they are at high risk of being victims of crime.
Obviously there are no easy answers. The amount of fentanyl and meth out there is scary, and twenty years ago, although there were dangerous enough substances out there, today's illicit substances are extremely deadly and highly addictive. Kids, being curious, try this stuff out and overdose. The stories are endless and heartbreaking.
Politicians need to stop throwing out the usual cliches and overhaul our health care system. A good start would be ensuring those with mental health issues have access to help and follow up.
Thanks to both of you for commenting. Judy, you see the folk who are guests at Bridge St UC on a regular basis as well, and understand that they are human beings, not statistics.
You're right, Roger, that while the Belleville incident caught media attention similar issues are facing many Canadian communities, large and small, with a host of factors creating this imperfect storm.
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