VICTORIA BEGS FOR HELP TO DEAL WITH HOMELESS

Increase Funding, Resources For Addicts, Mentally Ill, Mayor Tells
Province

Victoria can't deal with homeless people and their often related
addiction problems on its own, a frustrated Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe
said Friday, as he called on the province to increase funding for
treatment and reopen hospitals for the mentally ill.

"We'll look at anything," Lowe said. "We're at the point where the
general public is downright mad and there is a perception that we're
not doing anything."

Lowe said he wants to meet with Premier Gordon Campbell to discuss the
issue. He'll ask representatives from businesses affected by the
problem and agencies struggling to deal with the issue to join him. He
has already been in discussion with Howard Waldner, chief executive
officer of Vancouver Island Health Authority. And, he repeated a call
for wet houses for hard-core alcoholics to drink safely, out of the
public eye.

"If the premier wants to double tourism in the next 10 years, he needs
to help us deal with homelessness," Lowe added.

Lowe's comments come on the heels of a growing controversy regarding
the Archie Courtnall Centre, an emergency facility for the mentally
ill that has been overwhelmed by patients who suffer from addictions
and other problems such as homelessness, according to its clinical
director, who quit this week over the issue.

And, it comes a week after the manager of the Fairmont Empress
attributed the loss of a conference to complaints about aggressive
panhandlers on a tacky shopping strip along Government Street.

"Both situations are about the same issue," Lowe said. "The bottom
line is there are not enough services for those who need the service."

Dr. Anthony Barale said the same thing this week when he resigned from
the $2.2-million Courtnall Centre at Royal Jubilee Hospital. He said
he was frustrated by a lack of support from the Vancouver Island
Health Authority to deal with the addicted patients, and argued there
aren't enough detox and residential treatment beds to accommodate the
number of people needing them.

Now, VIHA officials say they've launched a review of the situation at
the Courtnall Centre, which was funded largely through the efforts of
the Courtnall brothers -- Bruce and former NHLers Russ and Geoff --
and named in memory of their father, who committed suicide after
battling mental illness.

"No question it's an issue that needs to be addressed, and I can
appreciate the clinicians and some of their frustration," Michael
Conroy, chief operating officer for VIHA, said Friday. "Part of our
frustration is we're doing a number of things, whether it's the
initiative to support homeless agencies -- we support hundreds of beds
in the homeless area -- or the fact we're increasing our youth
addictions programs by about 30 per cent in terms of funding."

Conroy acknowledged that the Courtnall Centre has faced "service
pressure", but added that what happens there "gives us good
information as to what we're seeing presented in the community."

He said it appears that the percentage of people coming to the centre
with a combination of addiction and mental health issues has not
exceeded expectations, but the volume of patients has.

"I think that there's a bit of a frustration that once they are
discharged, where do they go to receive the proper support to prevent
them coming back?"

Conroy pointed out that the relationship between addiction problems
and mental health is a "multi-faceted issue" requiring the efforts of
many groups. And more detoxification or detox beds is not the "magic
bullet."

Detox is a process, he explained, and many people have to use a detox
facility more than once.

They need treatment and support over several years, said Gordon
Harper, executive director of the Regional Addictions Advocacy
Society, which works with VIHA to help addicts find treatment.

"If you're homeless, it doesn't work so well. If you're in an abusive
relationship, it doesn't work so well. If you're sharing accommodation
with someone else who abuses substances, it doesn't work so well."