People in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue will continue to have access to the supervised consumption site as it shifts to a mobile service to help support the city’s vulnerable population through dual public health emergencies — COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic.
Starting on April 3, The Harbour — located next to Our Place Society — will begin serving as a triage site, while remaining open, to support people without respiratory symptoms who are homeless and underserved.
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People with respiratory symptoms will be assessed and await their results at a location that supports self-isolation.
According to Island Health, they are working with the city and BC Housing to support people to register for a location that offers “adequate sanitation, food, overdose prevention and other social, health and wellness services.”
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Currently, the city has identified Topaz Park and Royal Athletic Park as places for the homeless to go during the pandemic which will allow for “adequate physical distance and services to promote wellness.”
Overdose prevention services in Campbell River, Courtenay, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Cowichan and Victoria continue to remain open as an essential service. To help slow the spread of COVID-19, service providers at these sites are reducing the number of people accessing the facility at one time to allow for physical distance between people. In addition, cleaning protocols have increased and people are being provided with information and education about taking relevant precautions.
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