Staff of the Calgary Alpha House Society have taken to the streets to search for and dispose of dirty needles.
“We had a pilot project in the summertime where we were doing a proactive outreach in the community,” explained Adam Melnyk, outreach manager at Calgary Alpha House. “We started to come across needles while we were out in the community and we thought maybe we should keep track of that - where we were picking them up, how many, and focus on that as a public safety concern.”
Melnyk says the obvious need for the service resulted in grant money from the Government of Alberta to start a full-time team. “The Province is funding it and we’re working closely with the City in terms of the communication around needle debris and trying to take the pressure off the Calgary Fire Department.”
The Alpha House Needle Response Team hit the streets for the first time this week and work between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Citizens who encounter used needles are encouraged to call the team at 403-796-5334.
“The team’s able to respond to calls anywhere in the city whether it’s on public or private property,” said Melnyk. “We can certainly pick up needles and we can also give people supplies and show them how they can do it on their own.”
“We don’t want anyone getting poked with a needle that’s been used by another individual.”
While used needles are prevalent in the downtown core, the team believes there is a need for their services throughout the city.
Folabi Onabanjo, a security guard at an apartment building in Victoria Park where many families reside, commends the needle response team for the work they are doing. “We really appreciate these guys because, you have to understand, this is a residential area,” said Onabanjo. “When they come around and they pick up these things, it’s just awesome for us.”
“They are trained to do it. Sometimes I see one on the floor but I don’t want to touch it.”
Will Gruggen, a needle response worker, says the issue of used needles is easy to overlook until you’re actively looking for them.
“It’s definitely been eye-opening to get a firsthand visual of how prevalent the needles are in our community,” said Gruggen. “It’s been nice to make an impact but when you go back and the needles are consistently there, it really shows you that there’s a need to make this impact. We really have to do something about it.”
“As a community, we really need to take the initiative to tackle this crisis. There’s a lot of needle use and a lot of people who need help. We can all do our part to chip in.”
For additional information regarding the program, visit the Calgary Alpha House Society . To report used needles, call the needle response team at 403-796-5334.
With files from CTV's Brenna Rose
