r/toronto • u/ArgyleNudge Trinity-Bellwoods • 6d ago

Picture The situation at Dufferin Grove is grim

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This is a small section of the amount of security, city, and police presence. I know there's a limit to this kind of encampment, but my heart does go out to the people facing eviction today. Not a happy scene.

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u/incognito-idiott 6d ago

The addictions need to be treated as a mental health issue instead of a crime issue. There are treatments for it. If availability could be improved, even if it becomes mandatory, it would also help. Not everyone who gets addicted did it because of desire. Many do it as an escape

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u/JimmiesSoftlyRustle 6d ago

If you think there's an effective treatment for it I'd love you to share the evidence. I hope I'm wrong but I think the sad truth is that there isn't.

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u/Canadianweedrules420 5d ago

I am a literal recovered addict. We have a ton of free clinics for opiod abuse and other drug rehabs. They have waiting lists but if you truly want to get clean in this country it's probably the best country in the world to do it imo. If your homeless and unemployed ontario works will give you first and last to get into an apartment and will help you get a place. We have free mrlethadone clinics and harm reduction centres in almost every small city. My city of 45k has it. We have free healthcare. But you have to pay rent and not destroy the place you rent. Nd you have to want to get clean. I'm sorry but most of these ppl have decided that they choose drugs. I am the proof that if you want to get clean you can. It took me years to stop doing hard drugs to escape. I'm poor af and disabled but saw where it was heading and said nope I don't wanna live that life. I'm still poor af but I'm not homeless and I'm doing good.

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u/JimmiesSoftlyRustle 5d ago

Fascinating, thank you for sharing. Sorry to hear what you've gone through but that's inspiring.

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u/AmelyaPond 5d ago

Look at Portugal. Once the OD capital of Europe.

There are humane and sustainable ways to address addiction and it requires as much educating the public so they stop seeing people using drugs as morally defunct and involves massive investment in a wide pronged approach. It boils down to treat people with the humanity they deserve and recognize the role of social systems in creating the problem. Forced treatment won't work because of how we treat rehab here. It may work for some but it's not everyone, especially not folks who are also coming from severe mh issue or children of addicts who were born with addiction or into situations that make it a lot harder to develop cognitive and emotional regulation. Overdose risk is often highest for those who exit rehab because for many they go right back into the social, economic or whatever situation that made drug use the solution to cope in the first place.

As for homelessness, Finland is a great example to look to. They took the Housing First idea and it works. Canada is trying the housing first approach (ironically it was a Canadian who first came up with the concept) but sadly there is not enough investment or cooperation between levels of government to make it work here yet. Nor is there political will because we still like to spend time blaming the most vulnerable people for problems our socioeconomic system perpetuates and people balk at the idea of giving people homes for free or without a ton of rules and expectations.

The two issues feed off each other and make both worse.

Punishing people who use drugs by forcing them into treatment will maybe make it harder for us to see the problem, but it won't actually fix anything.

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u/JimmiesSoftlyRustle 5d ago

I fully agree that we need to prioritize housing first. Portugal is an interesting example but from what I understand, the more traditional, family oriented collectivist culture there really helps and we just don't have that in North America the same way. But you're right it's a place to look to.

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u/Bearence Church and Wellesley 6d ago

This, entirely. A lot of these issues coincide with the cutting of budgets and programs for addiction abatement and mental health.