I’m a social worker in Massachusetts, originally from south Everett. As the largest urban area within Snohomish County and the epicenter of public services, Everett is well-positioned to provide direction to neighboring towns. I have generally supported how its leaders have navigated community homelessness and substance use with a holistic, informed perspective. However, I’m concerned about recent decisions to combat public substance use by bolstering police presence and arrests when, as Mayor Cassie Franklin attests, what is needed is investment in behavioral health.
Substance use is not an isolated problem but reflects the social climate and access to resources like housing and medical care for people living within those communities. The U.S. has repeatedly adopted policies of forced treatment and jailing for substance use, while organizations such as SAMHSA, the Drug Police Alliance and many other community advocates argue that harm reduction efforts are much more effective for keeping people alive and moving them into a place of stability. Social work holds the dignity and worth of every person as a core value of our practice, and unhoused folks using substances deserve equal agency and compassion when considering their impact and future in a community.
These issues are not without complexity, and Everett is not unique in their approach. However, criminalizing homelessness and further marginalizing drug users will not make these folks go away; rather it will create a greater divide between those that are privileged enough to afford to live in Everett and those who are not welcome.
Aprille O’Neill
Arlington, Mass.
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