Mobile Outreach Team Launches to Tackle Drug Crisis in Nova Scotia

A new mobile outreach team has begun operating in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, aimed at addressing the escalating toxic drug and overdose crisis in the area. This initiative, supported by nearly $365,000 in federal funding, is a collaborative effort involving the Town of Amherst, the YMCA of Cumberland, the Amherst Police Department, and Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions.

Ashley Legere, executive director of the Cumberland Homelessness and Housing Support Association, spearheaded the funding application. “It’s huge,” she stated, noting that her organization, based in Amherst, serves numerous communities across the largely rural county. “This funding and the access to the mobile outreach vehicle will provide lifesaving interventions, prevention, across a much needed demographic.”

Enhancing Access to Services

The mobile outreach team is designed to improve access to essential services for individuals struggling with addiction. Legere emphasized that the team will facilitate timely access to detox and treatment options, even if these services are located outside the county. In addition to providing harm reduction supplies, the team will connect individuals to critical mental health and housing support services.

“This program is about connecting that person, doing the intake, and then driving them to their appointment so they can start their recovery journey immediately,” Legere explained. The initiative has also created three positions that pay a living wage, employing individuals with lived experience in the field.

Legere highlighted the impact of hiring a peer outreach worker who has transitioned from a state of crisis to stability, stating, “We were able to hire someone who went from homelessness to housing and now is able to support individuals who he may not that long ago had been living with or supported by himself.”

Support from Local Leadership

Amherst’s deputy mayor, Hal Davidson, expressed optimism about the new outreach team’s potential. “Now we have an opportunity to have people that are in the business, that know the business, that are able to provide the services directly on an emergency basis,” he said. This sentiment was echoed by Chief Dwayne Pike of the Amherst Police Department, who noted that while police will continue to provide support, they are unable to offer the in-depth assistance required during crises.

Pike remarked, “This is a person that can come along and sit with them, help them at the hospital.” He added that the new outreach team will help alleviate some of the pressures currently placed on police resources.

The mobile outreach initiative is part of a broader expansion of support services in Amherst. Earlier this year, the town opened Nova Scotia’s first integrated youth services site, operated by the YMCA and the IWK Children’s Hospital. Legere’s organization is also in the process of establishing an emergency youth shelter, supplementing an existing 10 emergency beds and six supportive housing units for adults.

As the mobile outreach team rolls out, community leaders and partners are hopeful that this initiative will make a significant difference in the lives of those affected by the ongoing drug crisis in Cumberland County.