More than a year after Belleville, Ont., declared a state of emergency triggered by a spate of overdoses linked to the opioid epidemic, people at the heart of the crisis say the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Brian Orford lives on Belleville’s streets. He’s among those who survived last year’s batch of tainted drugs — fentanyl, often laced with benzodiazepines or animal tranquilizers.
“I’m kind of bummed out because I’m here, I’m on the streets trying to push harder than ever to get a place and get work and everything again,” said Orford.
Orford said his girlfriend is pregnant and is staying in one of the very few shelter beds in town, while he sleeps behind the Salvation Army building. They are desperate for housing.
“She’s got a place to lay her head at night, but I’m still over here and we just want to get a place together and start settling down,” he said.
For now, the state of emergency remains in place and everyone’s watching for Belleville’s big fix.
In May 2023, the city bought an abandoned banquet hall on the edge of town with a plan to convert it into a shelter. It was supposed to open at the end of 2024 or early 2025 and be a 24-hour-a-day hub for services, with temporary beds and housing support alongside counselling and health care.
But structural issues have caused delays and the price tag for the building and renovations has ballooned from a projected $3 million to $8.5 million. That includes $5 million from city coffers plus another nearly $3.5 million from Health Canada.
The goal now is to open before the end of 2025. In the meantime, the province has allotted $6.3 million per year for three years to fund operational costs, including a service to help homeless clients find housing in the broader region.
Belleville resident Brian Orford speaks with CBC’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco.
Homeless numbers rising
There’s currently just one temporary centre that provides drop-in services in Belleville. The Bridge Hub is overseen by the Canadian Mental Health Association and operates only during the daytime.
Those living on the streets say it’s not enough.
In the absence of round-the-clock resources, the number of homeless people on Belleville’s streets has risen from just under 200 last spring to roughly 300 this year.
Neil Ellis, Mayor of Belleville, speaks with CBC’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco.
Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis isn’t sugarcoating the scope of the problem.
“It’s the worst social issue that we’re going to face in our lifetime and it’s not going to get any better, and that’s what scares me,” he said.
Residents, many of whom have been feeling the impact of homelessness and addictions issues firsthand, told CBC they worry the permanent hub will get delayed further and the problem will only get worse.
“They’re saying it’s not our problem, it’s the government’s problem,” said Belleville resident Laura Corbay. “Then they’ll say it’s the police’s problem. Then the police will say it’s the city’s problem.”
Aaron Crawford of the Belleville Police Service speaks with CBC’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco.
‘Band-Aids over bullet holes’
Sara Lougheed is homeless and battling a fentanyl addiction. She was set up with housing in the last year but has since lost it after inviting friends over.
“You want to still help your friends and … bring them in and let them have a shower and things like that, and some people just flip out,” said Lougheed, who pointed to a lack of support for people transitioning from the streets to housing.
Const. Aaron Crawford has seen this pattern play out many times: Someone finally lands housing, they invite a friend to come in off the streets, and soon the home has been overtaken by armed drug dealers.
“Showing up with guns at two, three in the morning, of course you’re going to get the eviction notice posted on your door. No one wants that nonsense next to them,” he said.
“When you introduce that sort of stuff into those people’s lives you’re going to get complaints, and those people end up getting kicked out and losing their housing.”
Crawford said the justice, bail and health-care systems need dramatic reform before things will get any better.
“You can throw some mental health workers out on the street,” he said “You can throw cops out on the road to try and address these things with. The bottom line is, you’re kind of putting Band-Aids over bullet holes.”
The National takes you to Belleville, Ont., where an overdose crisis has become a local state of emergency. CBC’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco hears from the residents, addicts and police who are searching for a viable solution.
