Saskatchewan government policy to blame for surge in public drug use and homelessness: Prairie Harm Reduction [Video]

Saskatoon’s Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) says a staff member arrived to work on Thursday morning to find someone at its doorstep, unresponsive from a suspected drug overdose.

“The heartbreak is indescribable, especially knowing this could have been prevented if our doors had been open and our paramedics had been onsite,” said Kayla DeMong, executive director of PHR, which provides support services to drug users and those struggling with homelessness, and runs Saskatchewan’s first safe consumption site.

DeMong says her organization often finds itself at the centre of political debate, struggling under the constant threat of closure, as those looking to explain the surge in homelessness, public drug use and overdoses find PHR to be an easy scapegoat.

If you think you’re seeing more homelessness and public drug use than ever — you are. But DeMong says these conditions are a consequence of public policy, including changes to Saskatchewan’s social assistance …