Surge in Drug-Related Deaths Raises Concerns in London

The leader of an outreach organization that supports London’s unhoused community says her team has noticed a rise in toxic drug deaths recently.

London Cares director Chris Moss mentioned that her group has reported three deaths linked to drug toxicity over the last ten days. In total, she knows of four deaths in the past month.

Moss indicated that a more dangerous supply of fentanyl seems to be contributing to this trend.

“It’s more and more dangerous. The drugs just seem to be getting worse over time,” said Moss. “There’s definitely more overdoses. I live downtown and I’m hearing a lot more sirens. It’s really a hard time.”

Vigil held for London Cares client

Moss and her team organized a celebration of life on Thursday at their offices for a man in his 30s who was staying at House of Hope, one of the shelters operated by London Cares offering supportive housing units.

For privacy reasons, London Cares chose not to disclose the man’s identity.

Moss shared that some clients housed by London Cares have been living outdoors for over five years, dealing with complex health issues that make them particularly susceptible to toxic drug fatalities.

“People who are experiencing homelessness for seven plus years – and that’s the case in these situations – their bodies have just deteriorated,” she said. “Their health care needs are very significant.”

Compounding the issue, Moss pointed out ongoing concerns about London’s Carepoint supervised drug consumption site.

This past March, the Ontario government announced it would stop funding Carepoint along with other drug consumption sites across the province. The operational funds are expected to run out by mid-June.

At Carepoint, clients can consume drugs under supervision from staff trained to handle overdoses safely.

Critics argue that shutting it down will result in more fatalities. Moss emphasized that Carepoint staff can also test street drugs for potentially harmful substances.

This March, London experienced a surge of overdoses within just one day. Moss noted that Carepoint was instrumental in swiftly identifying specific features of the fentanyl causing those overdoses.

“Within ten minutes when we see people having overdoses on our property, we’re able to contact Carepoint and know what’s in that drug,” said Moss.

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