Pubdate: Sun, 19 Oct 2003
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2003 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Steve Lambert, Canadian Press

FEDS TO STUDY IDEA OF SUBSIDIZED HOUSING FOR ACTIVE DRUG, ALCOHOL ADDICTS

(CP) - The federal government is looking for new types of subsidized 
housing for drug users and alcoholics - housing that could include 
safe-injection sites.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the government's housing agency, 
is launching a study to look at alternative residential programs for 
substance users who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

"We want to look at that population and how people are already helping 
them, or the kinds of cutting-edge ideas on how we can best create 
long-term housing for this group," said Jim Zamprelli, a senior policy 
researcher at CMHC.

While there are already many shelters and other facilities for the homeless 
across the country, most will only admit people who are not drunk or high 
on drugs.

The new federal initiative, which focuses on the concept of harm reduction, 
is aimed at helping addicts get a roof over their heads without having to 
quit immediately.

"Harm reduction, at least theoretically, would create an environment which 
doesn't bar (substance users) and recognizes that at this point maybe 
complete abstinence is not the answer," said Zamprelli.

The new type of housing could include rooms where junkies could inject 
drugs in a supervised environment - similar to the safe-injection site that 
opened last month in Vancouver, said Zamprelli.

"One could suggest building a living environment around a safe injection 
facility."

Vancouver's centre gives drug users clean injection kits and allows them to 
shoot up under nurse supervision.

The centre is aimed at preventing overdoses along with the transmission of 
disease that can occur when needles are shared. After finishing, the drug 
users are taken to a "chill out room" where they can receive counselling.

It is that kind of gradual withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, along with 
counselling, that may work well in a residential setting, said Zamprelli.

But the idea of using taxpayer money to house active drug users does not 
sit well with Canadian Alliance MP Randy White, who argues that making life 
more comfortable for junkies will only allow them to keep using.

"This idea of harm reduction is not reducing harm. It's keeping people on 
drugs," he said.

"We have so many people earning less than an average income who are having 
to live in substandard facilities in this country but are trying to make 
their way in life.

"And here, these federal Liberals are turning around and taking people who 
are on drugs and giving them places to shoot up and places to live that are 
in better shape than those who aren't addicted."

Zamprelli said that giving drug users a roof over their heads could help 
them break the cycle of getting high and sleeping on the streets.

"The idea is to create a stable environment to work with these people to 
deal with, ultimately, their addiction and hopefully reach a point at which 
they reduce their intake or maybe totally go dry."

A decision on the new housing is a long way off.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom