Community event aims to break stigmas of homelessness, mental illness

“As a community, we really need to lift each other up and support one another, and not ostracize or vilify our neighbors who are struggling,” she said during an event held to humanize some of the issues facing the community.

Hosted by the West Warwick Health Equity Zone in collaboration with several of its community partners, the “community conversation” invited people from across West Warwick to discuss homelessness, mental illness and substance use in an effort to raise awareness and break stigmas. 

“This is a really important discussion to have as a community,” said Edwards, who manages the statewide Parent Support Network. “A lot of times communities really shy away from having these hard conversations, so I’m really proud of West Warwick for always being at the forefront of having these difficult conversations.”

Michelle Mitchell, a community ambassador for the West Warwick Health Equity Zone, proposed the event last year as a way to address some of the misinformation she’d been hearing regarding the local homeless community.  

“We wanted to get rid of some of the stigma around these people,” Mitchell said. “They are people first, and they’re your neighbors — they know this neighborhood better than probably anybody, and who knows? They could save your life one day.”

A few years ago, an event was held at the senior center to educate residents on the opioid epidemic and the overdose reversal drug Narcan. The event turnout was poor, Mitchell said, but a live recording of it posted to Facebook by Jason Messier received hundreds of views.

“We were kind of disappointed that a lot of people didn’t come from the community,” she said, “but then we realized how much it was streamed — it actually made an impact.”

So, Mitchell said, she thought it would be beneficial to host another similar event. 

On the grass surrounding the gazebo that sits in Arctic Village, tables had been set up where those in attendance Thursday could mingle while they enjoyed food from Amos House. Over plates of roasted potatoes, green beans and herb-roasted chicken, community members talked with one another and listened as a handful of speakers took the microphone to discuss the topics at hand.  

“Mental health is an issue that sometimes gets pushed aside,” Messier, town councilor for West Warwick’s Ward 3, addressed a crowd that included West Warwick Fire Chief Jeffrey Varone and West Warwick Police Chief Col. Ernest Lavigne. “Homelessness, mental health, substance abuse — it all goes hand-in-hand.”

For Messier, who has struggled with his own mental health, ensuring easy access to helpful resources has long been a priority. That, he said, is why he fought a couple of years ago to bring a behavioral health navigator back into the West Warwick Police Department. 

Catherine Conte, a clinical therapist, works with the town's police and fire departments to respond to active crisis calls and conduct follow-ups with residents who have experienced overdoses.  

“Primarily, I help you get connected to the treatment and the services that you need to make your life easier, better, more sustainable,” she said, adding that she also trains first responders on how to handle calls involving mental health crises.

The issues of homelessness, substance-use disorder and mental illness have worsened since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March of 2020, Edwards said.  

“It’s been really rough for a lot of people,” said Edwards, who herself has been struggling with depression and anxiety over the last two years. 

In West Warwick, overdose-related calls to the fire department have seen an uptick in the years since the pandemic took hold. 

In 2019, Varone said Friday, the West Warwick Fire Department responded to 100 calls for reported drug overdoses. That number grew to 124 in 2020, with Narcan administered 60 times, and to 135 in 2021, with Narcan administered 65 times. 

There are limitations to the information available on overdose-related calls, Varone pointed out, noting that dispatch data is based on the caller’s description of an event. In some cases, calls have been made to report an overdose when a person was actually just sleeping, for example; other times, callers have reported that someone is unconscious, when the person is in fact experiencing an overdose.

One message that Mitchell said she had hoped to get across Thursday was regarding the importance of carrying Narcan. 

“We do want people to know that they can save a life if they carry Narcan,” Mitchell said of the nasal spray, which can be picked up from any of the fire stations at any time.

Anyone can be impacted by substance-use disorder, Edwards added, and it’s a problem that occurs everywhere.

“It affects everybody,” she said. “And when it affects one person, it affects the community around them… it really trickles down.”

Imposing vilifying language only causes harm, Edwards said, and can contribute to worsening symptoms and reduced likelihood of seeking treatment.

“When someone feels as though they will be judged, discriminated against, or even criminalized for their mental illness or substance-use disorder, it pushes them into isolation,” Edwards said, adding that it can even cause feelings of unworthiness. “No-one deserves to feel that way.”

And it’s not only the people living with these conditions who experience stigma, Laurie McDougall said. Their families are often faced with it, as well. 

“Anytime that my son was stigmatized against, it cut me like a knife,” said McDougall, whose son struggles with opioid addiction. “It hurt so deeply.”

The negative stereotypes attached to these issues can cause a lot of damage to anyone experiencing them, she said. 

“What does stigma do?” McDougall said into the microphone, encouraging input from those gathered. “It discredits people, isolates people, disenfranchises people, shames people, blames people, keeps people alone, keeps people sick.”

The opposite of stigma, she added, is healing. And when interacting with those who are struggling, or with family members of those who are struggling, it’s entirely possible to avoid imposing the kinds of stigma that cause so much pain, she said. 

“It’s simple, really. Ask yourself, what you’re doing — does this hurt, or does this heal?” McDougall said. “What side do you want to be on?”

“I know I want to be on the healing side of things,” she continued. “I want us to stop hurting.”

kgravelle@ricentral.com