Officials mull how to create Kitchener's interim supervised consumption site on tight timeline

Regional staff have met with community partners to discuss where to put an interim supervised consumption site until the official site at Kitchener's 150 Duke St. W.can get up and running later this year.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovich asked regional staff to look at options to get a temporary site operational. In April, he asked for a temporary site to be in place within two months.

In a report, staff said they've met with partners including Sanguen Health Centre, House of Friendship, Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre, The Working Centre and city staff.

They are working to determine:

• A site location.
• The minimum number and type of staff needed to run the site.
• Ideal hours of operation.

There are three options for location, a staff report said. Those include housing the temporary site in an already existing agency, setting up a temporary trailer in the "area of need" in downtown Kitchenersimilar to trailers that have been used in other cities like Calgary, or seeing if the interim site could also go at 150 Duke St. W., while the site is prepped to become the regular site.

"All options are being actively explored as they relate to cost, land/space availability and accessibility from a client perspective," the staff report said.

Site would operate 7 days per week

When set up, staff say it's expected the temporary site would run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days perweek, although that may shift according to need.

As well, there would be a minimum of three staff working at all times: a nurse, a social/outreach worker and a peer support worker.

The site will include additional services like distribution of harm reduction supplies including naloxone kits and disposal containers, referral to other services and, possibly, drug testing.

As soon as staff find a location, and the region approves it, they will apply to the federal government under the Urgent Public Health Need program.

Once that is submitted, Health Canada says the application is reviewed within 14 days.

The site would need to be funded fully by the region. The province covers the full cost of approved sites, but not temporary sites. The federal government also does not provide funding for temporary sites.

Staff are expected to report back to the community services committee on May 28.