TORONTO -- A woman in Thunder Bay, Ont., has opened her home to people seeking to detox and enter recovery from substance abuse, as the city鈥檚 withdrawal program has limited beds in the midst of an ongoing national opioid crisis.
Balmoral Centre is Thunder Bay鈥檚 sole withdrawal management program, which serves approximately 3000 people per year and turns away that many as well, according to the St. Joseph鈥檚 Care Group, which runs the centre.
Brenda Letourneau has opened up her own home to people seeking recovery to help fill the gap in care.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very necessary when someone is looking to get clean from drugs 鈥� they need help in that moment, they can鈥檛 wait,鈥� Letourneau said on CTV鈥檚 Your Morning Wednesday. 鈥淲hen someone reaches out for help, it鈥檚 life or death for them.鈥�
Letourneau herself has been in recovery for 13 years, and knows what people need most during the withdrawal period.
She estimates 20 people detoxed on her couch in the last year.
鈥淚ts pretty sombre, people are pretty defeated when they come 鈥� they鈥檙e just looking for somewhere to be safe, somewhere to be cared for 鈥� that鈥檚 essentially what I am providing,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of times they鈥檒l just be sleeping, be uncomfortable, have to be on the couch or use the bathroom a lot, depending on what they are detoxing from.鈥�
Thunder Bay and northern Ontario is one of the most affected regions by the opioid crisis and the toxic drug supply issue.
Thunder Bay鈥檚 Drug Strategy Report outlines how crisis emergency room visits for mental health and substance-related issues have skyrocketed, with a 250 per cent increase from 2006 to 2011 alone.
Letourneau said 40 people she knows personally have died in the last two years, with approximately 99 people in Thunder Bay dying of drug-related overdoses in 2020.
The Balmoral Centre withdrawal program only has 25 beds.
鈥淲hen I first got clean in 2008 and I got out of those beds only three of them are for female [patients] and really only two of them are available for self-referrals, and that hasn鈥檛 changed in 13 years,鈥� Letourneau said. 鈥淲e have unique needs in the north and we service a large geographical area, so I am not sure why there isn鈥檛 more help available, not only in the detox but also there鈥檚 a bottle neck when people are detoxed and not able to get into a treatment program for people that want to recover.鈥�
The crisis in the north is not a new issue. This past spring a proposal was submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Health for a new 40-bed mental health and addictions centre.
There has been no movement since.
Your Morning reached out to the provincial government and received a statement from a spokesperson for the associate minister of mental health and addictions which said the province has made 鈥渦nprecedented investments totalling over $40 million in new, ongoing annualized funding specifically to address the needs of those living with mental health and addiction challenges across Northern Ontario.鈥�
The statement did not address the specific questions regarding the new treatment centre proposed for Thunder Bay.
Letourneau wants to see more funding and acknowledgement from the government that the north is dealing with a crisis.
鈥淭here are many people reaching out but we haven鈥檛 heard back [from the government]. The toxic drug supply has meant people are dying at alarming rates鈥ur average of death from overdose is four times that of the province of Ontario,鈥� Letourneau said.
She plans to continue helping those on their road to recovery.
鈥淚t gives me a sense of purpose, of giving back,鈥� Letourneau said. 鈥淚 did a lot of damage in my active addiction, it helps me stay clean鈥鈥檓 also in a unique position to give the care and compassion to a lot people who are discriminated against because of this disease.
"It鈥檚 a good example to my family, and my children, that we are part of the community.鈥�
