It Begins With Us

Achieving a healthy city for all requires a collective effort. Recognizing this, the City took significant action in May 2018 to bring together The Regional Municipality of Durham, CAREA Community Health Centre, Cornerstone, Durham Regional Police Services, John Howard Society of Durham Region and other service providers to address the issue of unsheltered residents in Oshawa.

These City-initiated meetings resulted in the Oshawa Unsheltered Residents (O.U.R.) Task Force being established in July 2018. Now led by the Region, the O.U.R. Task Force is committed to helping individuals in need of shelter and providing connections to support health and social services.

The City of Oshawa continues to lead this important work. During the 2019 and 2020 City Budget deliberations, Oshawa City Council approved the allocation of $200,000 in the 2019 and 2020 operating budgets to support the O.U.R. program initiative and provide the City with funding needed for initiatives related to unsheltered residents, such as needle recovery.

The City takes every step possible to connect individuals in need in our community with services and shelter.

Through a collaborative effort – Durham Region’s Primary Care Outreach Program, community service providers, the Durham Regional Police Service mobile response team and the City’s Municipal Law Enforcement team – we are in continuous contact with unsheltered residents.

We care for everyone and safety is a priority. We reach out and offer support to unsheltered individuals who are in need of shelter and access to services – and we have successfully made hundreds of connections and provided support to those who were receptive.

Visit the Contact Us / Finding Help webpage for information on emergency shelters and for contact information on how to report debris / discarded needles in a City park, trail, greenspace or facility to report illegal activity in our public spaces.

This out-of-the-box solution was led by City staff, who saw an opportunity to bring a unique solution to address the health and safety issue of used needles and drug paraphernalia being discarded in our parks and greenspaces.

City staff brought the idea of a needle clean-up project to the O.U.R. Task Force, and, as a result, On Point was launched in July 2019 by the City of Oshawa, The Regional Municipality of Durham and John Howard Society.

The project involves the removal of used needles and other drug paraphernalia from priority parks, trails and greenspaces for the safety of the community. The program also provides employment and support to individuals working under the program who have experienced mental health issues, addiction or living unsheltered.

On Point individuals receive supervision, safety kits and training to assist with the cleanup of needles and other drug paraphernalia left behind in identified priority parks and green spaces in Oshawa. In addition to training and employment, program participants are also provided with housing outreach services and other community resources to help gain the experience to transition to long-term employment.

We are measuring the success of the program. From the beginning of January until June 30, 2020:

• 4 individuals are currently employed as On Point Workers
• 50+ different areas across the city including 2 new routes
• 13,900+ discarded used needles since beginning of program
• 102 needle pick-up calls
• 11,635 discarded pieces of substance paraphernalia (30,925 since July 31, 2019)
  

On Point is being partially funded through the Community Homeless Prevention Initiative (C.H.P.I.). The initial funding amount for this project is $104,400:

• C.H.P.I. is contributing a baseline amount of approximately $63,000
• The City of Oshawa is contributing $36,400 for the wages of the individuals
• The Region of Durham is providing the safety/equipment kits for the program participants (approximately $5,000) as well as evaluating the program

Community members are reminded to contact Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311 to report unlawful behaviour such as littering, individuals living in City parks or if you find a discarded needle in a City park, trail, greenspace or facility. Please do not pick up a used needle with your hands. For more information on how to protect yourself if you find a needle on City or your own property see information below on safe needle disposal units.

To report illegal activity (e.g. drug use, thefts, vandalism, aggressive behaviour), please contact Durham Region Police Services at 905-579-1520 or [email protected].

In fall 2019, Oshawa City Council approved a Welcoming Streets pilot project in downtown Oshawa.

Introduced and led by the City of Oshawa, Welcoming Streets is a partnership between the City, C.A.R.E.A. Community Health Centre and the Downtown Oshawa B.I.A. that provides targeted street outreach services to vulnerable individuals, as well as education and training to businesses in our downtown.

Through this initiative, community-based outreach workers serve as a point of first contact and help connect those who are vulnerable to services that they need while providing support, education and training to downtown businesses.

In April 2020, City Council approved the extension of the pilot project until December 31, 2020.

This pilot project is being partially funded by the City to help cover costs associated with the initiative, including outreach work, de-escalation training and program expenses. 

There are currently 14 needle units with plans to install more in additional priority areas in Oshawa. The units are located:

• Brick by Brick Park

• Cordova Park

• John Street Bridge

• Kinsmen Park

• North Oshawa Park

• Memorial Park

• Michael Starr Trail (south of Bruce Street)

• Oshawa Trail (near City Hall)

• Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens

• Rotary Park

• Rundle Park

• Storie Park

• Sunnyside Park

• behind The Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery

The yellow disposal units look similar to a mailbox and feature a locking feature which allows for the placement of sharps but not access inside the bin. 

Under the partnership, the City provides the needle disposal units while the John Howard Society monitors the units and takes care of the proper disposal of the sharps collected in the bins.

How can I protect myself?

To report a discarded needle or sharp found in a City park, please contact Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311. 

Residents are reminded that if a needle or sharp is discovered on your property:

• Don't pick it up with your hands - use tongs, pliers or tweezers and pick it up with the needle tip down and away from you.
• Place a hard plastic container or glass jar on a stable surface and seal it with tape and add a sharps label.
• Take the container to your nearest pharmacy for safe disposal. To find a participating pharmacy visit www.healthsteward.ca.
• Don't throw needles/containers in the garbage.

If you are accidentally poked by a discarded syringe, let the wound bleed freely and proceed immediately to the hospital emergency department for assessment to determine the need for further treatment.