Substance Use and Homelessness -Discussion with my daughter, Chanelle.

The Opioid Epidemic is staggering - drug overdoses kill more people than ever before.  Addictions can lead to Homelessness which in itself can cause more trauma.  Stats: 64,000 people die every year in America from drug related deaths. The nation's life expectancy has fallen for two years in a row.  In Canada, 87 percent of all accidental apparent opioid toxicity (contaminated illegal drug supply) deaths occurred in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta with an average of 20 deaths per day.  Some Northern Ontario towns have the highest rate of addictions.   In Canada, there are 4,000-8,000 chronically homeless people - in America, there are approximately 500,000 homeless people living on the streets.  What can we do to help?  What is the solution? Homelessness:  Other countries, such as Finland have successfully managed to virtually end homelessness by producing affordable social housing and providing support services.  Substance Use:  The country of Portugal is successfully solving its opioid problem by focusing on public health instead of incarceration and its use of psychologists who are playing a key role in this dramatic turnaround.  We can do better as a society by following other countries who are and who have helped their own people.  Let your politicians know, we need to treat other human beings in our own country as loved human beings.