Addiction is a dangerous condition - particularly for people in precarious or unsheltered circumstances – and our Outreach team is trained to provide emergence response.  Even though the team has the emergency response training, two of our service participants died this summer from toxic drug poisoning.  Our outreach team attended one fatal overdose to provide a direct overdose reversal response which was not successful. A second fatal overdose occurred outside of our outreach team’s ability to respond.  Our team supported each other with their own grief and provided grief services and health supports for the wider community.

Through our work to support people living with addiction, we provide safe supplies to decrease the risk of infection and disease and empower community members with the tools they need to reverse toxic drug poisonings. 2023 was one of the most devastating years for drug-related deaths in our community, leading to the Squamish Nation formally declaring a Health State of Emergency.  In 2024, we had 22 participants attend an advanced overdose course to learn how to identify and reverse toxic drug poisoning.  The event was facilitated by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and hosted at the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS).  Our street degree programs are also often attended by community members, residents, and staff, to enhance and share knowledge and create trust between our outreach team and the people in our community.  These training courses are offered to the wider community and many of our corporate partners, including Fortis, have attended to gain vital, life-saving knowledge.