Open Call to Action: Rain, Cold, Withdrawal — Lives on the Line in the DTES

 Open Call to Action: Rain, Cold, Withdrawal — Lives on the Line in the DTES

Imagine it: a person lying awake in a tiny SRO room or crouched in an alley outside Carnegie Community Centre.
Rain pours down, soaking their thin jacket. Cold bites through every layer. The street smells of wet garbage and urine.

Inside, their body is attacking itself. Their stomach twists. Their muscles ache. Sweat and chills fight for control. Their heart pounds as anxiety spikes. Every nerve is raw, every thought foggy. They are alone, sick, and desperate for help.

They want detox. They want a way out. They have the courage to ask, but the doors are closed, or the beds are full, or the phone won’t work. Every minute they wait is a risk — to their body, their mind, their life.

This is happening right now, in our city.

I am calling on:

• Vancouver Coastal Health
• Minister David Eby
• Mark Carney
• Vancouver Police
• All outreach workers, social workers, hospital staff, and volunteers

We need action immediately.

• Send outreach vans to pick people up.
• Open beds and prioritize those ready to enter detox today.
• Prepare medical teams to meet people where they are, not hours later.

No paperwork or bureaucracy should stand between a person and the care they desperately need. Every delay risks a life. Every closed door is a lost soul.

To everyone in this city with the power to help: look outside the office, onto the streets, into SROs and alleys. These are our neighbours, our community, our responsibility. Rain, cold, withdrawal — these are enemies no one should face alone.

💔 Act now. Every minute counts.