Mom who's considering B.C. treatment for meth-addicted daughter welcomes NDP plan
Joy Lywak says Manitoba lacks proper recovery plan for recovering addicts
The mother of a struggling meth addict welcomes the Manitoba NDP's proposed plan to fund a long-term recovery centre and detox facility.
The NDP promised Tuesday to implement Main Street Project's meth recovery plan within 100 days of taking office if they win the provincial election planned for Sept. 10.
"Let's do something about meth and help these people. Let's be known for something in a positive [way]," said Joy Lywak, whose daughter has been addicted to the drug for two years.
The NDP's backing of Main Street Project's plan would mean $1.5 million being invested upfront, and an annual operating budget of at least $2 million to help expand services.
The funding would allow the expansion of the downtown Winnipeg charity's 14-day on-site detoxification program, long-term treatment for up to a year in the centre's residences and long-term support to help people transition back to the community.
"Some of the pressure would have been taken off the family, taken off me, and I would have known she was in good hands if she was in a facility like the stabilization unit, where they would have taken care of her," Lywak said.
Since her daughter became addicted to meth two years ago, Lywak has struggled in their relationship, which has at times become violent, she said.
"It changes their personality, so a lot of chaos and crisis happens in the family," she said. "It's torn apart our family."
Keeping her daughter clean and providing her with adequate support at home is a challenge. Lywak lacks proper medical intervention training and understanding of the mental health problems her daughter deals with daily.
Her daughter has been to detox three times, but relapsed each time.
Lywak has started to explore options in other provinces, particularly B.C., where support after detoxification is better, she said.
"They [have] those houses [where] they support one another and they start helping them get back into the workforce and looking for their own places to live. We don't really have anything here."
The Progressive Conservatives announced $2.7 million for addictions and mental health treatment last month, shortly before the election was called. That includes increased capacity and hours at rapid access to addictions medicine clinics across the province, 16 new addictions treatment beds for women and funding for the Strongest Families Institute.
Those rapid access (RAAM) clinics, six treatment beds opened up at Health Science Centre, 36 new treatment beds at Addictions Foundation Manitoba and four more at the Behavioural Health Foundation are addressing the problem, a Progressive Conservative spokesperson said.
The PCs also have approved the addition of 120 beds at the Main Street Project shelter, which will help leverage expansion funds from the federal government, the spokesperson said.
Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said if his party is elected, they'll create a drug stabilization unit, where people on meth can be held to detox, as well as bring public awareness to the issue.
"I think the stabilization unit is a wonderful idea," said Lywak, who believes it would be an opportunity to learn more about meth.
"Nobody knows anything about [the drug]. They'd be observing people that are on meth, they'd be watching them with psychosis."
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth has also called for a drug stabilization unit.
Smyth said two weeks ago that the rising crime in the city was being spurred on by the meth crisis.
Lywak commends Smyth on speaking out on the subject, but now she wants the province to take action.
"They're letting down the families. You know, one of the things I've always been thinking about is I'm tired of being Slurpee capital. I'm tired of being the crime capital. Let's do something about meth."