Frustration and hope mix in London's Old East Village

Old East Village is a tight-knit community where exciting things are happening.

It's a hub for the city's artists, young families are moving in and many businesses have opened up shop, lured by the unique feel of the neighbourhood and relatively low prices.

But nowhere in London are the city's struggles with a housing shortage and opioid crisis more apparent than in the OEV.

CBC's London Morning visited the neighbourhood, and here's what we heard. 

John is a longtime OEV resident.

"We have a lot of needle use and people leaving their apparatus in an unsafe way. When confronted about it, quite often they become belligerent and threatening. That's unacceptable.

"Business owners are trying to operate small, independent owner-operator businesses. And they're not getting any help from the city in dealing with the problem. I think you could probably spend an hour down here and not see a police person. And the police station is literally 300 feet from where we're standing."

Serenity Rawson grew up in Old East Village and has spent most of her life here. She has a two-year-old son and is pregnant. She regularly picks up needles and throws them away. 

"Within a block, I encounter multiple needles. People passed out on the street, sometimes beside our home in the driveway. Passing that with my infant son and another on the way, is not a very good feeling. Trying to make change and offer these people whatever support I can as an individual, but having my child grow up to see that's what is normal where we live, is heartbreaking.

"I'm seeing a lot more frustration and a lot more people saying there's nothing we can do and there's still a few of us hanging on saying we're going to find a solution, we're going to find ways to help and this isn't how it's going to stay."

This man has used drugs for 10 years.

"I usually collect cans or bottles. I find a lot of stuff that people throw away, you can reuse tons of it. So I pick a lot of it up and sell it and then that just goes ahead and feeds my habit. I like the pills, it's not much of a high but it's a better feeling, a younger feeling. No stiffness." 

He is currently homeless and didn't want his name used. 

"Every once in a while (I stay) at the Sally [Salvation Army] or the Men's Mission but I don't prefer to stay inside with most of them. They don't seem to give a crap about anything, especially where they throw their shit. I think all of us users need to be a little more responsible with our own stuff.

Cadence moved to Dundas Street in Old East Village in January

"I hate to say it, that I do feel unsafe morning and night stepping out alone. I think people are becoming tired and angry about it. It's gotten to the point that there's concern and people feel sorry for the people who don't have places to stay, but it's gotten to the point that it's affecting the people who live in the neighbourhood.

This man has not used drugs for four years. He works part time now, and occasionally takes in people who are struggling in OEV. 

"There's a stigma down here. There's lots and lots of dirty users, and that's how any intravenous drug users get a bad name for these people who leave their needles and stuff laying around. The solution is to get these people a home, stableness, somebody who cares about them, because their family has left them because they became an addict, and that's the God's honest truth. There's no other solution. But you get them happy and out of their low, we won't have this problem."

"They're asking for help in the wrong ways, by leaving dirty rigs around. It's not the way to do it." 

This man has only been in London three months, but is from Strathroy and says he knows London well. He's not used drugs for four years and lives in OEV with his girlfriend and three kids ages 11, 8 and 3.

"I used to feel safe walking down the street and now it's like I see all kinds of crazy stuff happening down here. There's lot of needles down here. What I think it is, is people are OD'ing so quickly on it, because they don't know what they're getting and there's other carfentanil and stuff.

"There is a housing problem in London. This housing that they're putting them into isn't the greatest, because it's a building full of users right? So, it's kind of just keeping the circle going. There's lots of needles down here."

"Jail worked for me. I did a year in jail at Exeter Road and I've never gone back. I haven't even gotten arrested or any kind of charge since. But the reason I was there was to support my habit. I got off the opiates when I was in jail, but when I came out, I went onto the Suboxone program just so when I knew if I did relapse, I wouldn't get high. And at that point, what's the point? That's what's been working for me."