As COVID-19 continues to worsen amid the presence of the new highly communicable Omicron variant, it is also affecting the particularly vulnerable homeless population, according to a Fredericton doctor.
Dr. Sara Davidson works at the Riverstone Recovery Center in Fredericton and helps people living in precarious conditions, in tent cities, struggling with mental health, addictions and substance use disorder.
She is on the front line.
Davidson said the pandemic has compounded many problems, even making them worse for those forced to shelter in tents outside.
“Especially as we move into this freezing weather, it becomes apparent that we are worse than ever in New Brunswick,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
She said there are believed to be at least 50 people sleeping outside or in a tent in the capital city, not counting those in other cities as well.
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When vaccines became available, Davidson said the team was mobilized to vaccinate as many as possible, but those who are vaccinated can still contract the virus. Some were not vaccinated for various reasons.
“In rare cases, well, I shouldn’t say rare, but in some cases, people have been so ill that they have had to go to the hospital. then they are in isolation in the hospital until they get better. And the doctors, when they prepare to discharge them, they call me and they are really upset because they know they are going to be left in a tent, “said Davidson, describing the situation as cruel.
She said that no one within the homeless population has died of COVID-19 so far.
“It’s mortifying to think of recovering from something in some case where you have an ICU admission and then you go back to a tent,” he said.
He said others who have tested positive are sent to a motel, in partnership with the Red Cross, to isolate them, but getting them there can take time.
In one case, he said, while a person who had tested positive was waiting to be transferred to isolation, they had to gather around a fire with other people just to keep warm.
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The home inventory in Fredericton is low and he said there are no affordable options either. Landlords are not encouraged to house people with mental health or substance abuse problems. Subsidies are not often carried over between units in the event that a tenant has to leave.
Davidson said the brackets just don’t exist.
It aimed directly at the $ 32 million allotted for an announced prison in Fredericton. Davidson wrote a letter to the Premier and the politicians directly involved explaining why prisons are not the answer to substance use disorder or the homeless population.
The Victoria Health Center and the lands behind also serve as an area where tent cities have been established. Davidson sees that building as a perfect investment for housing and mental health initiatives.
“There are government departments, agencies at the Victoria Health Center that are renting space that could easily be anywhere else because they would be welcome anywhere,” Davidson said.
“I feel like if they could be relocated to other areas, we could have an incredibly rich center of excellence in mental health, we could have an emergency room for mental health. I’ve said it a few times to anyone who wants to listen. “
In the end, Davidson said that people die on the street.
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“We would not face such profound and debilitating mental health problems if we had adequate housing, and we would not even have to deal with some morbidity and mortality problems,” he said.
“I mean, recently we had, in the last few months… a pregnant mother died in one of the tents and we have people who have early-onset dementia who live in tents, elderly people who live in tents, and I’m a little cautious that our society, which has become a bit normalized, that is what happens, but it is not like that.
“It is not normal to live outdoors.”
The Health Department said in an email statement that efforts to reach those experiencing home insecurity are ongoing.
“The tests are available to people in a variety of housing situations and, as we move forward, we will continue to work with local partners as part of an enhanced surveillance strategy to reach those experiencing home insecurity,” said spokesman Bruce Macfarlane.
People living in tents are regularly checked by the Fredericton Police.
You are consolidating all the previously approved tent towns into two locations – one along the Devon Trail and one on the Lieutenant Governor’s home property.
“This is to ensure that service agencies can easily reach those who need help, and for the city to maintain some degree of basic service for those who live there (portable urinal and trash collection),” said police spokeswoman Alycia Bartlett.
He said the number of people living in any tent city changes frequently.
Two force officers visit the sites daily, or at least every other day, he said. Cpl. Kelly and Const. Bamford are those officers. Bartlett said the main purpose is to reach those in the tent cities, but any safety concerns are handled according to the book.
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