RaY headquarters at 125 Sherbrook Street. Photo: Supplied by Shoshana
Coodin/Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc
The provincial government announced recently that it would be investing $6.8
million in organizations which are working to address Winnipeg’s drug crisis.
The funding targets organizations in West Broadway and Osborne Village.
The organizations that are being given funding are Siloam Mission, 1JustCity in
Osborne Village and the Resource Assistance for Youth, Inc., commonly known by
its acronym RaY, in West Broadway.
Kate Sjoberg, the Executive Director for RaY, said the centre had previously
offered expanded drop-in hours but had to discontinue them because it no longer
had the funding to operate them.
“We had to close in April because we didn’t have any funding… with this promise,
we’re able to reopen in the evenings and on Saturdays.”
Sjoberg said that the funding will also allow RaY to add staff who can connect
clients more quickly with housing, addictions, mental health and other supports.
RAY also has oxygen equipment, naloxone kits and an on-site nurse practitioner
to respond to medical emergencies and connect clients with care.
Sjoberg added that West Broadway is an area of Winnipeg with particularly high
rates of child poverty and that this had increased demand for RaY’s services.
“The need in terms of what youth are experiencing is unfortunately expanding,
not going down,” Sjoberg said.
Manitoba declared a province-wide HIV outbreak earlier this year. Sjoberg said
many of the people using RaY’s expanded drop-in hours last winter were those at
greatest risk, particularly young Indigenous women who are unsheltered.
Sjoberg added that the organization hopes the additional funding will allow it to
strengthen HIV prevention efforts while building relationships with vulnerable
youth.
“It was actually the folks that are most vulnerable to the current public health
emergency concerning HIV that benefited the most from our services.”
Winnipeg Centre, the riding which includes West Broadway, had a child poverty
rate of 45.2 per cent in 2023 according to an analysis of all federal government
ridings that was released by Campaign 2000.
“We’re still seeing youth exit CFS and go directly into homelessness,” Sjoberg said.
Sjoberg explained that drug impurities were an issue compounding the crisis in
Winnipeg.
In particular, a veterinary tranquilizer called medetomidine was being found in
drugs such as fentanyl. The result is that already dangerous street drugs are
becoming more difficult for front-line workers to respond to and more hazardous
for people who use them.
“In April we lost six people connected to the organization who were between the
ages of 19 and 33,” Sjoberg said.
The author of this piece contacted Minister Bernadette Smith’s office for comment
on this story. She was not available, but Cabinet Communications Press Secretary
Andrew Chapman sent a statement on the government’s behalf.
“Our government is committed to getting Manitobans into safe and secure
environments with supports that can help them along their journey to recovery,”
the statement reads.
“This funding will strengthen supports and programming that provide life saving
measures, expand treatment access and increase public safety for all Manitobans.
This is another step in our government’s commitment to work closely with front-
line organizations, health providers and emergency services so every Manitoban
has the support they need and a pathway to a dignified, secure life.”
Sjoberg said that ultimately the goal of RaY and organizations like it is to get to a
point where the problems associated with the toxic drug crisis no longer plague
Winnipeg society.
“What we’d really love to see is a situation where nobody actually needs the
supports that RAY provides.”
Graham McDonald, U Multicultural Journalism and Media Arts Centre