About the Wolf Den
Boyle Street Community Services is in the process of opening a Community Health Hub at 10119 81 Ave NW Edmonton, Alberta.
This Health Hub will provide a safe and clean space for people that use substances to consume in the presence of trained staff. Not only will this prevent accidental overdoses and reduce the spread of infectious diseases, but it also provides an environment that reduces harm and offers services like counselling and treatment options on a pathway to recovery.
A Doctor or a Nurse Practitioner, who will be onsite one day a week, along with nurses onsite can educate individuals on safer injection practices and provide all Health Hub service users with primary care and referrals. Additionally, social workers, peer support workers and mental health workers can discuss resources and support they have in place and can provide.
The Health Hub has been gifted an Indigenous name created in ceremony by Elder Eric Daniels, who noted this name comes from the sentiment of ‘protecting our pack”. The name in Cree is Mahihkan Kamik, which translates to ‘Wolf Den’.
Why Strathcona?
Strathcona has been identified as an area of need for these services based on EMS and Fire Services calls related to drug poisonings. Calls have increased by over 12% year over year in the area. This has been confirmed by conversations with sector partners and potential service users.
To address this need, Boyle Street Community Services was tasked by the Provincial Government create a Southside Health Hub, focused on harm reduction as well as recovery services and treatment options, housing referrals, mental health supports, primary care options, wound care, cultural healing supports, and other health related services. It will also include an overdose prevention site.
Development Permit Progress
In order to develop and complete the Health Hub, a Class A Development Permit needed to be granted for the site. This process has led to delays in the originally planned opening in Spring of 2023, but the Health Hub is now back on track for opening in early 2024.
Below is a timeline overview of the permit process undergone in 2023.
- March 27th: Class A Development Permit granted for the Health Hub.
- June 27-28th: SDAB hearing held for permit appeal.
- July 13th: Class A Development Permit revoked based on its universal accessibility not meeting zoning bylaw.
- October 6th: Resubmission of Class A Development Permit, now including the required universally accessible entry with interior ramp.
- November 27th: Approval of Class A Development Permit as a Health Service
- November 29th: Notices of approval sent out to nearby community by the City.
The updated floor plan for the site leading to the re-approval can be seen here.
Addressing Concerns
OPS services provide a place where people can use pre-obtained drugs in a monitored, hygienic environment to reduce the harm from substance use for them and community. Individuals that use substances are highly stigmatized therefore may resort to unsafe and potentially harmful locations to hide their drug use
The toxic drug supply is affecting every community, this health hub and OPS will provide a place to reduce these harms and provide support that will benefit the whole community.
A consequence and negative side effect of individuals not having a safe place to use drugs is needle debris in the community. Providing sites like this reduces needle debris by disposing of them right where they’re being used.
Additionally, the ability to provide safe needles and injections helps to not overwhelm the mainstream health care centres by reducing the treatment of infectious diseases from unsafe needle practices.
Public Engagement and Good Neighbour Commitment
BSCS has conducted various engagement sessions with the public to discuss our new site. The main purpose of these sessions, besides providing information and answering questions, was to develop Good Neighbour Commitments with those in the community.
As per the Recovery Oriented Supervised Consumption Services Standards, BSCS is required to fulfill and document all community engagement. The document attached below shows the original Good Neighbour commitments that BSCS had developed, the comments that they received back from various engagement sessions, and the updated commitment that came out of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boyle Street Community Services has been tasked by the Provincial Government to create a Health Hub. This space will include an overdose prevention site, recovery services and treatment options in addition to housing referrals, mental health supports, primary care options, wound care, cultural healing supports, and other health related services.
Strathcona has been identified as an area of need for these services based on EMS and Fire Services calls related to drug poisonings. Calls have increased by just over 12% year over year in the area. This has been confirmed by conversations with sector partners and potential service users.
These are health services for those who have barriers accessing traditional healthcare. This Health Hub is an extension of Boyle Streets existing commitment to serve a community that has been historically underserved.
The Health Hub is strictly for service users to access the on site services available. Once the service has been accessed the client will be expected to leave.
No – this is not an overnight facility
We do not anticipate more than 10 – 15 individuals to be accessing the site at one time.
The Overdose Prevention Site itself will have a total of 3 booths.
We don’t anticipate a long wait to enter the building, but there will be security on site to mitigate any problems if they arise during operational hours and staff checking around building
Boyle Street will create a mechanism in place for community to flag concerns to be addressed promptly.
This location has been chosen because a need for these services has been identified. These services are designed for individuals already in the Strathcona area.
Current data suggests needle debris decreasing in areas of an OPS. Everyone using in the site will dispose in a safe way before they leave and will be given “take home” sharps disposal boxes.