Province Cites Harm Reduction Literature As Reason To Block Funding
SafeLink Alberta’s Medicine Hat location on North Railway offering recovery services to residents experiencing addiction and, or homelessness. (File Photo)
Federal and provincial funding for a homeless drop-in centre in Medicine Hat is available, two service providers are willing to do the work but the city is still set to lose its ability to connect the city’s vulnerable with recovery programs.
City council announced the latest blow in its attempt to tackle addiction and homelessness last week, informing the public the province won’t allow federal funding to be provided to daytime services to current provider, SafeLink Alberta.
The issue appears to boil down to a philosophical one with the province opposed to harm reduction strategies which seek to limit the spread of communicable diseases common among drug users.
“The service provider partner, SafeLink, is a group that previously taught youth how to use deadly illicit drugs, which is unacceptable,” stated Premier Danielle Smith, Medicine Hat MLA, in an email to the Medicine Hat Owl.
That reference appears connected to literature which SafeLink provides which demonstrates how to smoke methamphetamine without transmitting hepatitis which has been made available by SafeLink to the public including young Hatters.
City council was granted short-term federal government funding for continued daytime drop-in services provided by SafeLink through the Emergency Treatment Fund program. The province is barring access to that federal grant program under the Provincial Priorities Act.
The latest rollback to addiction and recovery services comes a year following the city establishing its Resilient and Inclusive Community Task Force to deal with social issues related to addiction, mental health and homelessness. Teen shelter spots in the city were lost following the province no longer funding the service and the Mustard Seed withdrew its rezoning application for a building which would expand shelter and day services last fall.
The task force includes the city’s two MLAs, MP Glen Motz, city council members and staff as well as both municipal and provincial stakeholders and service providers, including SafeLink and Mustard Seed.
One of several posters advertising the recall petition of Medicine Hat MLA Premier Danielle Smith in the city’s downtown. The petition claims, “her disregard for local expertise and community voices has left us without accountable leadership.” Smith has yet to personally attend a city task force she’s a member of that was created to deal with addiction and homelessness in the city in the year since it was formed. (Photo Alex McCuaig)
"The Resilient and Inclusive Community Task Force is aware that SafeLink is facing a loss of funding which will impact their drop-in centre at the end of January,” stated Kris Samraj, task force chair in an email to the Owl. “The drop-in centre provides an important service. The task force will discuss the matter and how it might work together to see this gap in funding or service filled for our community at its next meeting."
Neither Smith nor fellow local MLA, Justin Wright, have personally attended any task force meetings held over the last year. Medicine Hat MP Motz has attended several meetings but has yet to respond to comment regarding the province blocking federal funding.
Katie Ayres, SafeLink Alberta executive director and task force member, referred to a media release issued late last week when asked for comment.
“SafeLink Alberta's Medicine Hat site serves as a critical stabilization point for vulnerable residents and a coordination hub for local service providers,” stated the release. “With the loss of funding, the site, which supports 60 to 70 individuals each day through systems navigation, low-barrier testing, and early-stage stabilization and crisis prevention, could be forced to close, leaving individuals with no other daytime drop-in space in Medicine Hat to support them.”
The province says it’s providing $4 million to support homelessness and addiction services in Medicine Hat along with $250,000 to nearly double shelter spaces in the city. It’s unclear how much of the funding is being used as shelter spaces have not increased while there are no available day drop-in services currently funded by the Alberta government.
The Resilient and Inclusive Community Task Force is scheduled to next meet on Jan. 21. It last met Dec. 10, though, minutes from that meeting have yet to be released.