Pubdate: Sat, 18 Feb 2017
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Authors: Jennifer Pagliaro and Emily Mathieu
Page: A10

OVERDOSE DEATH HIGHLIGHTS GAPS IN CITY SERVICES

Man, 28, died after being told downtown drop-in centre had no space
for him to sleep

The fatal overdose of a 28-year-old man, who left a downtown drop-in
centre he frequented after being told there was no room for him to
sleep, has left his friends and community reeling and searching for
answers.

The man, whom the Star is not identifying at this time without his
family's permission, often stayed at the St. Felix Centre, a
neighbourhood hub on Augusta Ave. where men and women can shower,
enjoy meals, receive counselling and use computers.

In the winter, St. Felix also acts as a 24-7 drop-in centre. Though
the 34 sleeping mats and 16 additional spaces were full Wednesday
night, staff welcomed the man, provided him with two bowls of soup and
told him about a temporary warming centre where he should have been
able to find a space to sleep.

But shortly after he left St. Felix, about 20 minutes after he was
last seen by his friends, he was found without vital signs in the
washroom of a KFC restaurant less than a block away, at Queen St. W.

A worker from St. Felix, who happened to be on a break, found him.
Emergency services were called at 9:40 p.m., but he died in the hospital.

"Our tremendous front-line staff allowed him access to the dining hall
where he had food, but was told they didn't have space for him," said
local Councillor Joe Cressy, who told the Star about the circumstances
leading to the man's death and how he was found.

"I think this is a painful, real example of a real life and a real
person who used our system and didn't get the full level of support
that they needed because the resources weren't there," he said.

St. Felix staff would not comment on the situation.

Police reported Thursday that the heroin the young man had consumed
was believed to be laced with the more powerful drug fentanyl, which
has been connected to a surge of deaths of intravenous drug users.

A spokesperson from the mayor's office described the death as a
"tragic circumstance," adding that Mayor John Tory has been "very
vocal about the dangers of fentanyl" and is working to reduce the
impact of the deadly drug. "City staff are investigating and we will
be asking for a full report once all the facts are known," the
spokesperson said.

On Friday, two men stood in a doorway at St. Felix and shared a few
thoughts about a young man they described as a quiet and decent person
whose death sent shock waves through their community. They declined to
give their names.

"He kept to himself a lot, but at the same time he would call one or
two individuals over for a conversation . . . he reached out to some
people," one man told the Star.

The other, who knew the young man well, said he saw him inside the
drop-in just 20 minutes before the fatal overdose. He was outside the
restaurant when the ambulance took his friend away. The reaction back
at St. Felix, he said, was shock.

The night the young man died, he was given information about a
temporary warming facility at St. Lawrence Community Recreation
Centre, near Sherbourne St. and the Esplanade, but declined the
referral, city staff said. People are invited in from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.
and can sleep on mats, or quietly pass the time.

That same evening, city council was hashing out the final points of a
budget that included cuts to front-line shelter workers, or a decision
not to replace 10 people once they resign or retire. Those positions
include staff providing medical care and helping people find housing.

Community leaders and advocates had decried the lack of shelter beds
and emergency spaces, calling any potential cuts to services a matter
of life and death. Cressy's motion to restore the positions was
defeated 19-25.

A cheat sheet, which a source confirmed was distributed by the mayor's
office telling allied councillors how to vote on various budget
issues, shows the mayor lobbied councillors to support the cuts.

The mayor's spokesperson, in response, said the 2017 budget included
money for new shelter beds and added that the city has extended the
hours of its cold-weather drop-ins and has funded additional hotel
beds to get people off the streets.
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MAP posted-by: Matt