This funding will help people at risk of substance-related harms and overdose in the Guelph region.
Guelph – Every day, families and communities across Canada lose loved ones to overdoses from the increasingly toxic illegal drug supply. We are responding to this crisis by taking a comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate and evidence-based approach to increase access to services to promote well-being and resilience, to reduce stigma and harms, and save lives.
Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, Ontario, on behalf of Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced more than $1.8 million in federal funding for three projects in Guelph through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). This funding will allow the organizations to increase access to services for people who use drugs in the region of Guelph.
The Guelph Community Health Centre will be able to increase the capacity of its current safer supply program while providing supports for participants, such as prescription access, access to primary and specialty care services, income, housing, and nutrition. It will also support the Stonehenge Therapeutic Community in providing a peer-led and low barrier response for people in Guelph and Wellington County struggling with substance use , and support the Wyndham House Inc in providing youth access to multiple supports in Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin Counties, that include housing, education, and financial support.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with all levels of government, partners, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, people with lived and living experience, and organizations across the country to improve health outcomes for all Canadians, save lives, and work towards an end to this national public health crisis.
“In Guelph, and across Canada, family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors from all walks of life endure the unspeakable loss of losing a loved one to overdose. While we all have a role in reducing the stigma around substance use, our government is committed to supporting local organizations to continue improving care and reducing barriers for people who use substances in their communities, and saving lives.” – Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health