A program in Chatham that is working to support to people who are currently experiencing homelessness and people who use substances is expanding to include the outskirts of the municipality.
Reach Out Chatham Kent (R.O.C.K.) Missions has received a $710,000 grant from the Health Canada Substance Use and Addictions Program to expand the Peer-2-Peer Program across the municipality.
Currently, the Peer-2-Peer Program operates weekly out of Chatham to provide easier access to information, harm reduction supplies, community-driven outreach, and support to people who are currently experiencing homelessness and people who use substances.
R.O.C.K. Missions said the smaller communities in Chatham-Kent currently don't have the proper clinical settings to access harm reduction support.
According to R.O.C.K. Missions, Chatham-Kent experienced a 280 per cent increase in opioid-related emergency department visits between 2016 and 2020 and a 400 per cent jump in opioid poisoning-related deaths. R.O.C.K. also said the year 2020 saw Chatham-Kent’s greatest increase in opioid related events over the past five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
R.O.C.K. Missions Operations Coordinator Renee Geniole said the expansion of the Peer-2-Peer Program will help fill a critical gap in harm reduction and substance use services for those who live in rural and marginalized communities across Chatham-Kent.
“We can’t ignore the opioid poisoning epidemic happening across Chatham-Kent,” said Geniole. “These rates may sound staggering, but they only scratch the surface of the true prevalence of opioid poisonings in our community, or the immense cost of living through this crisis. Hundreds of opioid poisonings go unreported due to systemic barriers that continue to marginalize people who use substances. Lack of access to services, stigma, medical violence, and criminalization are a few examples of the barriers faced by individuals we work with.”
Geniole added engaging people People with Lived Expertise in the Peer-2-Peer Program empowers those involved to share their expertise and fosters opportunities to build knowledge and skills.
Geniole noted R.O.C.K. Missions is thrilled to be able to offer the expanded services and acknowledges the support that has been paramount in the success of the program so far.
“We are investing in the community in ways that will have a lasting impact," said Geniole. “We’re grateful that Health Canada recognizes the importance of this initiative and our ability to facilitate it. We’re excited to expand the services to the smaller communities in Chatham-Kent that have less access to the support they need. And we want to thank our community partners, the individuals we serve, and the entire community. We recognize that we could not do what we do without all of Chatham-Kent behind us.”
R.O.C.K. Missions said the initial expansion of the Peer-2-Peer Program beyond Chatham is set to begin before the end of March 2023, and will include more experienced people and experts on substance use.