THUNDER BAY — New addiction supports will soon be available for women and gender diverse people involved with the criminal justice system in the region with more than $800,000 in new funding.
Ya'ara Saks, the federal minister of mental health and addictions, was recently in Thunder Bay to announce the significant funding contribution going to the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario. The funds will be put toward the organization’s efforts to help with substance abuse and addictions.
The society provides programming and advocacy for women, Two Spirit and gender-diverse people who are involved with the criminal justice system, are homeless or who are at risk of being criminalized. They operate three transitional housing facilities in Thunder Bay for people who have been incarcerated, are unhoused or dealing with mental health and substance abuse.
The money will go to securing a substance use health coordinator as well as hiring peer support workers to help clients, said Lindsay Martin, the executive director of the local Elizabeth Fry Society.
“I know that our … opiate death rate in Thunder Bay is so much higher than the rest of the province, and I think that it's important for the federal government to take a look at that when I know a lot of the provincial government's mandates are to sort of change the directive of harm reduction practices,” they said.
“So, it'll be important for us to be able to maintain some of those supports that community is needing.”
The new supports will help clients who require help when accessing the society’s services.
“Individuals will come in, whether they're leaving carceral spaces or not, come into our units, and … be supported and assessed by our circle-of-care team along with that peer support just to see where they're at,” Martin said.
“I know everybody's path is pretty individual, so it'll vary on what the services will look like,” they continued. “But ultimately making choices that are less harmful for individuals who are using substances in our community is the key and building that community within that population, I think, it is essential for them to be able to feel supported and trust the individuals that are serving them.”
Local public health and social service officials have long cited the city’s disproportionately high per capita overdose death rate compared to the rest of Ontario. Martin said statistics like that, and the prevalence of dangerous street drugs like fentanyl, make efforts like the Elizabeth Fry Society’s work so important.
“Knowing that the opiates and fentanyl crisis and toxic drug supply is rampant through our community and we all see that in the social service industry, particularly those who are unhoused and leaving incarceration,” said Martin.
“So, I think it's really important for the funding to be allocated to this community, particularly due to the … death rates that are way higher than the provincial average.”
