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Heartbreaking that the OPS we worked hard to establish is now closed
We’re still trying to understand what happened & why, but members who had control over the physical space and to our financial resources decided that it could not continue in its current location 1/ https://twitter.com/halifix902/status/1285964000677822465
We’re still trying to understand what happened & why, but members who had control over the physical space and to our financial resources decided that it could not continue in its current location 1/ https://twitter.com/halifix902/status/1285964000677822465
There are apparently other plans to establish an OPS elsewhere in Halifax some time soon, but @halifix902 has so far not been invited to participate in that process 2/
After years of planning, advocacy, and with largely very positive community support we were able to obtain an “Urgent Public Health Need Site” exemption from Health Canada to operate our OPS legally, but without any government political or financial support 3/
Through private donations, T-shirt sales, and a generous donation from @Direction180 of both money and space, we opened the site last year
There were a few community members who expressed vocal opposition to the site location, and this was challenging for us to navigate 4/
There were a few community members who expressed vocal opposition to the site location, and this was challenging for us to navigate 4/
NS Public Health had been assisting us with our pitch to the provincial government & with planning for further community consultations, but suddenly the government told them they were no longer allowed to even reply to our emails 5/
Without any other viable options for a location, and with an increasingly toxic local drug supply & and the upcoming (last) federal election we felt we didn’t have much choice but to open the space where people who use drugs can use drugs & not have to die 6/
We operated on the t-shirt money. 3-4 hours per day, 6 days per week, employing people with lived experience of injection substance use as front line staff
They did overdose response & CPR training, provided support and connection — they did outstanding work 7/
They did overdose response & CPR training, provided support and connection — they did outstanding work 7/
Our group leadership that had been focused on advocacy & policy change morphed into a focus on service delivery
Our priorities became establishing our operating procedures and continuing to connect with the few neighbours who expressed opposition to the site 8/
Our priorities became establishing our operating procedures and continuing to connect with the few neighbours who expressed opposition to the site 8/
Our leadership structure was amorphous & organic, even after the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre graciously & generously took us on as a program, providing their insurance oversight in-kind 9/
I’m so glad that I could participate in the co-leadership of an organization along with advocates who use drugs & that centered the perspectives of people who use drugs
Our group also included lawyers, academics, health care professionals, and community service providers 10/
Our group also included lawyers, academics, health care professionals, and community service providers 10/
But as the organization was focused on service delivery & trying to survive by a thread, we no longer seemed to prioritize advocacy, social justice, liberation, and centring voices at the margins
We were really just trying to keep the site open against the odds 11/
We were really just trying to keep the site open against the odds 11/
Eventually differences in philosophy & priority developed among our group and started a process that led to some people leaving & seems to have contributed to the site closing. This the part I still don’t understand, but hope to learn more soon 12/
For a year we ran an OPS in Halifax, with a group of people that came together to support the health & rights of people who use drugs.
We had positive feedback from the community & showed that it’s possible. I hope we changed some hearts & minds /13
We had positive feedback from the community & showed that it’s possible. I hope we changed some hearts & minds /13
