The Midwest Indigenous Society is partnering with an Indigenous street program to launch Tawaw Outreach, targeting homelessness and addiction. Midwest members from left, Scott Miller, Samantha Studer, director Crystal Miller, and local community support worker, Jessica Falcon, spoke to the media about the partnership project last Wednesday. Geoff Lee Meridian Source
As the temperature plunges, community support worker Jessica Falcon and her mom, Heather Ross, are raising the alarm bells over homelessness and addiction in Lloydminster and the risk of overdose deaths.
“That’s where it gets scary because if somebody’s using alone and out in minus 40-degree weather, they are going to overdose and pass away or they’re going to succumb to the weather,” said Falcon.
“We had five deaths in the community last year just from freezing alone.”
Falcon and her mom drive around town in their own car from about 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. at times to help keep their predominantly-Indigenous clients safe and healthy, but the problem is already beyond their scope and resources.
They reached out to the Midwest Indigenous Society, which hosted a joint news conference last Wednesday to announce a project called Tawaw (or welcome in Cree) Outreach to raise awareness and funding support.
Midwest is an arm of the Association of Metis, Non and Status Indians Saskatchewan (AMNSIS) that will hopefully provide some initial funding according to Chrystal Miller, director of Midwest.
“We’re hoping to get funding. We want to call the attention to all service providers for homelessness and drug addiction,” said Miller.
“We want to have a meeting with all the powers that be, whether that be the mayor or chiefs or anybody that get any kind of funding for homelessness and drug addiction.”
Miller says the partnership wants to find ways to help one another “tackle this huge epidemic we’re having” in Lloydminster.
Falcon says the extent of mental health and addictions in the community is “outstanding,” noting roughly 85 per cent of clients the outreach services help identify as Indigenous.
Falcon says partnering with Midwest might help Tawaw Outreach take off.
“It’s to secure funding, so hopefully in the future, we can refer people to addiction services. We hope to have an Indigenous-based addiction program,” she said.
She is also hoping to bring awareness and hopefully come up with a plan on how they can address things going forward.
“It’s such a big task and it’s not something that’s going to be fixed overnight,” she said.
“Now that the cold is here it’s starting to be quite concerning.”
Falcon says the men’s and women’s shelters are often full and it can be hard to secure immediate temporary shelter from provincial agencies.
Recently, she let one homeless couple sleep in her car for a few hours.
The problem on the street is compounded by the current lack of medical detox programs, including the Thorpe Recovery Centre, which has temporarily shut its program.
“We met with public health yesterday to pick up supplies,” said Falcon.
“We were made aware that detoxes are so limited that they are coming up with plans where people are detoxing at home with a family member by their side.”
Falcon says to get into treatment you need to be clean for seven days.
“When you’re in active addiction, it’s hard to go two hours clean,” she said.
Falcon says she and Miller will typically pull up to a client and ask them if they would like a meal and hand out any donated winter clothing.
“Everything we get is by donation,” she said.
They also provide Narcan kits to reverse an overdose of opioids and sexual health supplies to keep the homeless safe and prevent infections.
“Right now it’s just me and my mom. My sister and brother-in-law are coming on board as liaison workers. We need more,” said Falcon.
Miller says they are hoping AMNSIS can help fund a motorhome for Tawaw Outreach to be able to cook and serve hot meals.
“They are doing their part, but we need to see other people trying to help us deliver this,” said Miller.
Midwest is also continuing a membership drive from Nov. 18-19 at their office so clients can register for a Christmas hamper and attend an upcoming Christmas party at their hall.
