The Harsh Realities of the Downtown Eastside

I don’t live in hell, but I sure can see it from my window, and no I’m not talking about the deep fiery pit filled with sinners we call the underworld. I’m talking about the Downtown Eastside, or better known as East Hastings- the poorest postal code in Canada. For some, this is the trendy, cool, new up and coming neighbourhood, but it is a mecca for addiction and mental illness for others.

As a 21-year-old girl from the suburbs, I have been faced with my privilege like never before. Living in a beautiful apartment building provided by my uncle, it’s hard to understand how rough it really is down here until you face it. I even question my motives talking about this, wondering if this is even my place, but this is the hard cold reality of what it’s like to live down here. This place represents rock bottom, and for a while, it was hard to live in an environment filled with so much pain and suffering. Every day I would ask myself how can I help, who can I help, and if I did help what would that look like?

Heroin has flowed through the Downtown east sides ports since the 70s. Not only is there an ongoing opioid crisis but there was an overlap of the HIV/AIDS crisis as well. Five years ago, a public health emergency was declared for the overdose crisis. Since then more than 7,000 people have lost their lives to drug toxicity. An additional 329 deaths happened in the first two months of 2021. The overdose rates in BC between 2003- 20018 have spiked over 725%…So what’s not being done? How can the city of Vancouver step up and help to make life better for people living in these conditions and struggling with mental health or addiction? On one side of things, you have the sort of people that believe there is no helping this situation, but on the other hand, there are people that believe this is a full-blown crisis, which it truly is.

As this was and is the city’s “best-kept secret,” why do we learn how to avoid it instead of coming up with helpful solutions that are safe and proactive? With the shift in the dangerous drug supply, heroin has been put on the back burner and fentanyl has kept its way to the forefront of drug use. Not only is fentanyl cheaper and stronger but it is also way more likely to kill. This has been an ongoing issue since 2018 and only progressively gotten worse since the pandemic.

Although the drug supply is extremely dangerous and toxic right now, the other problem is a lack of resources that have been reduced or completely shut down due to the pandemic. This has led crime to climb over 500% since the beginning of COVID-19. For many, this is an issue that is so far removed from them that it doesn’t seem to matter but in reality, this affects us all.

Because Vancouver is a port city there is much more traffic when it comes to supply. With that being said, Vancouver has a large number of tourists every year that filter through the eastside. This makes the downtown Eastside seem less intense than it does in its current state. With the constant flow of tourism, the homeless are more likely to gather in one concentrated area, whereas now it is way more prevalent and spread out than ever before. Although this has led to a much wider spread of COVID-19 because there is little to no sanction in these areas regarding social distancing and masks. A study that was done by Vancouver infectious disease centre ran antibody tests of those living in shelters. Out of the few hundred that were tested by the end of September, only a couple dozen had any antibodies. But it has been said that a large number of residences were not tested and most cases were not reported. Leaving a higher risk to the public.

Gentrification has pushed these people into such concentrated areas with nowhere else to go. This makes it easier to spread disease and get sick. With COVID-19 being at an all-time high this is a huge issue that the city seems to be swept under the rug. Even with the Vancouver city council pleading to spend $30,0000 to buy and rent vacant rooms to use as emergency housing, it seems as though they are just putting a bandaid on the issue and not thinking long term.

Collectively we need to realize this is all of our problem, this is not a downtown eastside specific problem- more housing and addiction facilities is what’s gravely needed. We all can make a difference with just a little compassion and empathy. From living in the suburbs to the downtown eastside it breaks my heart to see my neighbourhood suffering. There are so many things that I have gained from living down here and it truly is an amazing community within itself. It may seem terrifying from the outside and although at times it can be, I have many high hopes for the city and I’ve realized the strength within the community.

There is so much you can do to help. Visiting and living in this community and getting to know some of the people who are residents has been extremely rewarding. Here are some ways you can help! These are some resources that are available for addiction and mental illness.

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Center

–https://dewc.ca/

Wish Drop-in Center