Sudbury, Ont., volunteer organization gets new space to help people with substance use disorders

A Sudbury-based volunteer organization that fills service gaps for people who suffer from substance abuse disorder will soon have its own space in the city's downtown.

The Go-Give Project will move into a space at 154 B Durham Street, near Sudbury's YMCA in November.

Evie Ali, the organization's executive director, said the move to a central location will provide some relief for their volunteers.

"Most of our office supplies, donations and needle exchange program supplies have been stored between our volunteers' residential addresses," Ali said.

"And as you can imagine that has been very overwhelming and has presented obstacles as far as overseeing supplies and management goes."

The central location will also make it easier to collect donations and connect with their clients.

Ali said the Go-Give Project fills service gaps when other providers are closed – either late at night or during holidays. 

Their main focus is helping people who suffer from substance use disorders by providing harm reduction, first aid, when necessary, and making sure people get to their appointments on time.

Ali said they plan to hire some case managers in the near future to help them better serve their clients. 

The organization has been around for two years now, and will soon start its third winter doing mobile outreach.

In past years, the number of people who had to use the city's warming centres was "incredibly high," Ali said, and she expects that to continue.

In an email to CBC News, City of Greater Sudbury spokesperson Sacha Novack said the city currently has 178 actively homeless individuals on its by-name list.

The by-name list is a voluntary list that helps connect people with a number of social services affiliated with the city.

"Of the 178 individuals actively homeless, 13 are staying in encampments, 72 unsheltered, 51 in shelter, and 42 are provisionally accommodated or 'unknown,'' Novack said.