Addiction is a root cause of many people being homeless in Chatham-Kent, including a large encampment near many Chatham homes accompanied by some disturbing behaviour which has angered numerous residents.

Among the residents who have addressed Chatham-Kent council during meetings and on social media, many blame harm reduction programs for fostering illegal drug use rather than reducing it.

The issue of harm reduction was discussed at length during Monday’s Chatham-Kent Board of Health meeting to provide some insights into the program.

Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health Shanker Nesathurai admitted he once viewed harm reduction as “just another slogan.”

“But, really harm reduction is the suite of services and programs that mitigate the adverse effects of an activity.”

Nesathurai s

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