AUDIO: Online petition in Cobourg seeks to declare state of emergency for homelessness and opioid addictions

Written By Dan Jones

Homelessness By Jon Tyson-Free Use Domain-Upsplash.

By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM News, Local Journalism Initiative.

An online petition is circulating, hoping to declare the homelessness and opioid addictions crises in Cobourg as a state of emergency.

Jordan Stevenson, Director with the Integrated Homelessness and Addictions Response Centre says this petition is not meant to unlock special government resources or funds, but intended for the community to collectively recognize there is a homelessness and addictions problem, affecting the entire community.

He admits the declaration will not easily solve these problems, but there must be a coordinated response under existing emergency plans to begin to address the issues.

Northumberland County is contemplating the location of a proposed winter warming hub, since the emergency shelter closed its warming room in July.

Dan Jones

Dan Jones is a veteran radio and web journalist with 18 years in the news business. He has reported on Indigenous issues in Northern and Western Canada. This former News Director has covered provincial legislative politics in the Yukon and Saskatchewan.

https://www.Northumberland897.ca
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