Fast tracking Housing in BC

[the truth]

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[fluffy]

Housing First works only if there are adequate health supports addressing the needs of the residents made available immediately when needed. Unfortunately this is not the case in Kelowna. Housing First was initially started in larger cities that already had supports available within the community. Smaller cities like Kelowna do not have the resources for on-site support or off site support that is needed for many of the health care needs that would be available in bigger cities. Right from the beginning it has been stated that for Housing First to work it needs wrap around supports including support to recover from the disease of addiction.

I won't argue with that, but to me that says that Provincial Health has some catching up to do.

To the point of housing first, is there a successful model for addiction treatment that doesn't address housing ? The traditional 28-day treatment facilities that just release patients into the same environment they came from don't really have an impressive success rate.

[DarbyD]

Housing First works only if there are adequate health supports addressing the needs of the residents made available immediately when needed. Unfortunately this is not the case in Kelowna. Housing First was initially started in larger cities that already had supports available within the community. Smaller cities like Kelowna do not have the resources for on-site support or off site support that is needed for many of the health care needs that would be available in bigger cities. Right from the beginning it has been stated that for Housing First to work it needs wrap around supports including support to recover from the disease of addiction.

I won't argue with that, but to me that says that Provincial Health has some catching up to do.

To the point of housing first, is there a successful model for addiction treatment that doesn't address housing ? The traditional 28-day treatment facilities that just release patients into the same environment they came from don't really have an impressive success rate.

Housing and Addiction treatment need to go hand in hand not one first and then the other. If so called supportive housing in Kelowna is a catalyst for non users to start using then it is the opposite of working.

There are two types of housing that need to be Fast Tracked:

1.) There needs to be affordable housing built for people who don't need supports they just don't have an income to afford a rental. We need a permanent static rental stock in Kelowna that is affordable to the people with the lowest income. In the 80s developers stopped building apartment buildings, instead building condos unattainable for low income people.

2.) Housing should be built to help people who are struggling with addiction and wish to recover but need support to do so. If they lapse they aren't removed from their housing unless they decide they want to continue on their journey of misuse ... then they go back to a shelter.

Kelowna is a desirable city to live in but do we continue to try to meet the unlimited desire of people to move here? If people don't have an income and don't have housing (rental or ownership) before they move here, maybe they shouldn't move here?

We have long term residents now who are being pushed out of housing (Holiday Park, Central Mobile Home Park on Casorso), shouldn't we be building rental housing for them? So many questions lead to other questions.

[BC Landlord]

i say bs ,safe to say 99% of junkies had a home before becoming junkies , so this so called research is useless

Exactly! The left has always been interested only in perpetuating problems, while pretending they are solving them. Hence, all these "studies". That's what keeps their vanity alive, with nothing tangible to show.

[the truth]

i say bs ,safe to say 99% of junkies had a home before becoming junkies , so this so called research is useless

Exactly! The left has always been interested only in perpetuating problems, while pretending they are solving them. Hence, all these "studies". That's what keeps their vanity alive, with nothing tangible to show.

x2

[Even Steven]

The traditional 28-day treatment facilities that just release patients into the same environment they came from don't really have an impressive success rate.

What programs do have impressive success rate?

[fluffy]

Housing and Addiction treatment need to go hand in hand not one first and then the other. If so called supportive housing in Kelowna is a catalyst for non users to start using then it is the opposite of working.

Agreed, the current model needs improvement. Now should we abandon one side of the equation because the other needs attention, or work on the side where deficiencies exist?

[kgcayenne]

We need to learn about the San Patrignano Community.

https://www.sanpatrignano.org/en/

For over 40 years, San Patrignano has offered free help to girls and boys with addiction problems. As many as 26 thousand those accepted so far and 1000 those currently in progress. With a recovery rate of 72% among those who complete the course.

A commitment aimed not only at those who have already fallen into the drug tragedy, but also thousands of young people so that in the future they do not find themselves in the same problem. For this reason, every year San Patrignano reaches 50 thousand Italian students with its WeFree prevention project.

About us
San Patrignano is a community for life that welcomes those suffering from drug addiction and marginalization and helps them to once again find their way thanks to a rehabilitation programme that is above all, a programme based on love. It is free, because love is a gift.

It offers a new life for the families of those suffering, who find comfort and support in the reliable and expert guidance the community and its volunteers offer.

It is a commitment towards building a better society, thanks to numerous projects designed to prevent drug abuse. In its search for the common good, San Patrignano is open towards the outside world with specific activities in schools, international study events, special wide-ranging programmes and constantly battles against addiction.

[BC Landlord]

What programs do have impressive success rate?

The program of enabling addictions. Solving the problem by the method of attrition (overdoses).

[fluffy]

Meeting the Housing Needs of People With Substance Use Disorders

"Stable housing plays a vital role in people’s recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). An inability to pay rent and the threat of losing housing can lead to stress that triggers substance misuse and relapse. People experiencing homelessness who also have SUDs typically find it difficult to address their substance use without a safe place to live, because they often use alcohol or drugs to cope with the dangers of life on the streets."

https://www.cbpp.org/research/housing/m ... -disorders

[DarbyD]

Note this is a USA article written in 2018:

https://www.cbpp.org/research/housing/m ... -disorders
In 2018, Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (known as the SUPPORT Act), which provided a variety of new programs and funding opportunities to help states and localities address the opioid epidemic and broadly help people with substance use disorders.[3] The SUPPORT Act includes a provision to facilitate the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) creation of a pilot program — using additional Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding — to address the housing needs of people in recovery from a substance use disorder (not opioid specific).

Conclusion

People need a safe place to live to fully engage in substance use treatment and recovery services. Congress can take a step in the right direction by appropriating at least $25 million in additional Community Development Block Grant funds in fiscal year 2020 for a pilot program to provide housing assistance for people in recovery from a substance use disorder.

[fluffy]

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[BC Landlord]

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[fluffy]

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[Even Steven]

Doesn't the govt already invest money into housing for people where they're provided with everything including a roof over their head, food, and substance abuse treatment?

Usually have bars over windows though...

I'm not saying let's put them all in jail, but perhaps this approach where freedom is compromised can be effective and we already have some infrastructure for it.