Sault outreach program may be expanding
An outreach program that focuses on Sault Ste. Marie's main drag could be expanding its borders.
The Downtown Ambassador Program started in June, part of a partnership between the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Downtown Association, and the City of Sault Ste. Marie.
David Cartner is one of five CMHA workers who travels the city's downtown, distributing food, harm reduction supplies and connecting those on the street with resources to help them better their situations.
The staff receive frequent calls from the roughly 200 businesses in the area seeking help for a range of reasons.
“We are a contact for them if something is happening outside of their store," Cartner said.
"For instance if they find needles on the ground, drug paraphernalia, or perhaps maybe there might be a person that is in need. They can call us and we will come down.”
Salvatore Marchese, executive director of the Downtown Association, said the program is exactly what the area needs.
“There’s a lot of positive feedback coming in," said Marchese.
"Both from our merchants who know there is somebody they can call when someone’s in distress, and … from the people that are out there on the ground working these shifts, saying they’re connecting people that just didn’t know there were resources for them.”
Annette Katajamaki, executive director of CMHA Sault Ste. Marie, said they are hiring four workers to cover the Downtown Ambassador Program.
“One of the hardest things that folks with a mental illness and or an addiction issue have is reaching out and asking for help," said Katajamaki.
"So this stops them from having to physically go somewhere -- we’re going to physically show up where they are.”
The success of the program in its first two months is turning heads at city hall. An expansion beyond the downtown will be discussed when the next council deliberates the 2023 budget.
It's something that Cartner, and the rest of the partners, support.
"Addiction doesn't just start at Pim Street and go to Gore Street," he said.
Businesses or individuals in the downtown looking for help from the Downtown Ambassador Program can call 705-090-8483.
The program runs from 3-7 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.