A Novel Approach to Addressing Homelessness in Downtown Edmonton: TRIP

As an ICU nurse, I spent several weeks in downtown Edmonton on Jasper Ave during the winter and was taken aback by the alarming number of homeless individuals who appeared dazed, loitering, and zombified.

Drug deals were happening in public, and homeless people were starting fires in alleyways, fighting, screaming, and yelling at all hours. The LRT was also filthy and smelly, and occupied by the homeless, making it unsafe to use.

While on a travel nurse assignment at the University of Alberta ICU, I found myself constantly concerned for my safety whenever I had to leave my apartment. We would attend to substance-addicted users who had been in an altercation and sustained injuries, patch them up, and then send them back out onto the streets. The hospital provided free Narcan kits, so drug addicts had no fears of having a respiratory arrest.

Out of concern for myself and others, I wrote a paper highlighting the government's lack of action to address the homeless problem in Edmonton. It felt as though they had given up, allowing the city's downtown to fall into disrepair. However, when I emailed the paper to the Alberta Premier and city councilors, I received zero response.

Therefore, I have decided to share the paper online, hoping to raise awareness among those who care about the growing problem of homelessness in their community.