The Middlesex London Health Unit is now hoping to establish two permanent supervised drug consumption facilities in the city.
Health officials said Friday the two proposed locations are at 241 Simcoe St., a building owned by the London and Middlesex Housing Corporation, and 446 York St., which is across from Mission Services of London.
In addition to the two permanent sites, the health unit is also looking to create a mobile facility that would make stops in Old East Village, the SoHo neighbourhood, and the downtown. The mobile site already has the backing of Downtown London, the Old East Village BIA, and the SoHo Community Association. All three organizations have written letters of support.
“Having reviewed several proposals over recent weeks, we are very confident that this is the best plan to serve the community,” said Dr. Chris Mackie, medical officer of health and CEO of the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “No location is perfect, but together, these will help improve safety in these neighbourhoods, and also help save lives and get people connected with crucial services such as housing, mental health support, and addictions treatment.”
Residents and business and property owners within a 120 metre radius of the two proposed brick and mortar locations are being notified by mail of the health unit's intentions. Neighbourhood information sessions regarding the sites will be held next week.
Both meetings will be held at the Middlesex County Building at 399 Ridout St. North next Thursday. The meeting for those in the vicinity of 241 Simcoe St. will begin at 4pm, while the one for those near 446 York St. will start at 6:30pm.
The health unit's move to have two permanent consumption facilities comes a week after the landlord of the originally proposed site at 372 York St. backed out.
Before lease negotiations ended abruptly, the site at 372 York was met with push back from those with plans to create a $20-million small business hub, known as Venture London, within the Free Press building across the street.
From that controversy, the strip mall at 120 York St. was proposed as a second option. However, that site has since been taken off the table.
The health unit needs Health Canada approval before it can open any permanent supervised consumption facility.
The sites will provide a supervised environment in which people with addictions can consume narcotics under the supervision of a health care professional. There would also be after care and interaction with staff who can provide clients with information regarding counselling, treatment, and housing.
A temporary overdose prevention site at 186 King St., opened its doors in February, thanks in part to $130,700 in funding from the province. It shares the space with the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, a spot already familiar to those who use injection drugs as it houses a needle exchange program.
"We’ve seen a lot of positives at our 186 King Street office,” said Brian Lester, executive director of Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. “That includes lives being saved by the direct intervention of staff, and more than 1,700 incident-free visits by people who would have otherwise been using in parks, back alleys and stairwells around the city.”