by Skye Ryan at Chek News –
Now that Cathi Bates has her daughter Carli back in her life again, she doesn’t want to let go.
“Just having her back in my life again. When she was on the streets I didn’t sleep for close to a year when she was out there,” said Cathi who lives in Nanaimo.
For several months her 32-year-old daughter Carli has been in recovery from opioid addiction, with the help of prescribed fentanyl patches, supplied by B.C.’s safer supply program.
“It is the reason I’m clean,” Carli told CHEK News on Thursday.
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She says without the program should would be “probably homeless, possibly dead.”
The Bates family fears what will happen if the BC Conservative Party gains power after the vote recount, and decide to close overdose prevention sites, as well as cut safer supply as promised.
“These inhalation sites, they are not safe, these injection sites as well. Enough with the drug dens. We need to convert them over to make sure they are connected with recovery,” BC Conservative Leader John Rustad told CHEK News on Sept. 23, during the B.C. election campaign.
“I’m very scared. I’m scared if this program gets stopped. I know my daughter’s going to go back on the street and a lot of other people will go for street drugs,” said her mum Cathi.
According to AIDS Vancouver Island’s Clinical Director, Corey Ranger, many in harm reduction are now holding their breath about the future.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. There’s a lot of anxiety right now among care providers, and the bulk of that anxiety is about the people that we care for every single day. Without these services, people who use drugs don’t go away,” said Ranger.
“I definitely think they are going to make as much cuts as they can if they get in and they’re going to start with, I think they’re going to go after harm reduction,” said Aimee Chalifoux, an outreach worker for the Nanaimo 7-10 Club.
Glen Watts who lives in Nanaimo said Thursday, that without safer supply there’s no other option for users like him. He was recently clean for four days after detox. But without a recovery bed to go to, Watts said he fell back into drugs and living on the streets.
“If the proper things aren’t put in place, you don’t have a fighting chance,” said Watts.
So Carli Bates hopes the possible cuts won’t derail her progress.
“I think the people that suggest we cancel the programs have absolutely no idea what the program’s done for many people, including myself,” she said.
The young Nanaimo woman faces an uphill battle to stay clean against a powerful addiction.
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