'Open drug use is rampant,' Saskatoon community support officers say

Saskatoon’s community support officers are saying they responded to record numbers of calls over the summer, with services to help those struggling with addictions and mental health issues only dwindling.

A report from community support program supervisor Rob Garrison says staff saw a record 367 calls for service in the month of June, and nearly as many in August.

According to the report, staff and local businesses are concerned with the widespread level of drug use in their service area.

“Open drug use is rampant in our patrol areas,” Garrison wrote in his report to the city’s street activity committee.

“We regularly encounter people consuming drugs either by needle or inhaling. Many of the calls for suspicious persons are regarding people using drugs in doorways and parking lots of businesses and service providers.”

Property owners are frequently left to clean up needles and other paraphernalia, the report said.

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Community support officers are meant to help resolve social issues in the city’s core by connecting people to social, health and housing services, but Garrison says they’re struggling to find help for high-needs people, particularly “difficult to house” women.

“There is a significant and urgent need to provide more services for women in order for them to be safe,” Garrison said. “Despite our best efforts, we are encountering less, not more, services available to vulnerable people.”

According to the city’s board of police commissioners, Saskatoon police are dealing with the same lack of support services.

In August, the board sent a letter asking Saskatchewan’s ministers of Health, Mental Health and Addictions, and Social Services to develop new facilities and supports “for individuals with complex needs.”

“Due to a lack of housing and facilities, officers are often left with no place to take people and they are ultimately released back into the community without any form of support,” the letter reads.

In response, the Saskatchewan government said it’s spending a "record" amount on mental health and addictions services, including adding more addiction treatment spaces and extending a pilot program for overdose outreach teams.

Despite “record” spending from the province, Saskatoon reported a record year for the number of homeless encampments in the city, with 452 identified by the fire department as of Aug. 1.

Saskatoon’s street activity subcommittee meets on Wednesday, Sept. 20.