IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE/SAFE:

1. Establish a respectful relationship. Introduce yourself and offer assistance. Check if they’ve used any emergency shelters or if they need help finding housing support.

2. If they want help, call Fresh Start Services’ outreach team at 506-271-0633. You can also refer them to the Foundation Centre Homeless Hub at 100 Waterloo Street (open 24/7), Coverdale Centre for Women at 148 Waterloo Street, Outflow Men’s Shelter at 162 Waterloo Street all located in Saint John.

3. If you would like them to move, use a gentle tone to ask them to leave.

4. Offering them a drink of water or something warm may help establish some trust.

5. If they refuse to leave and you feel safe, call Fresh Start’s street outreach. After hours, call your local law enforcement’s non-emergency line (listed below in Key Contacts).

• • • • •

IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE OR THE PERSON BECOMES AGGRESSIVE: Immediately call 9-1-1.

• • • • •

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Sleeping outside is rough, so it can take extra time for a person to respond or get moving. Be patient when interacting with them.

Seeing someone who you think may be in crisis can be upsetting. If you are worried about the welfare or safety of someone because of their perceived mental state, or because you find their behaviour concerning, here are some considerations:

IF YOU THINK THE PERSON MIGHT HARM THEMSELVES OR OTHERS:
This is an emergency, call 9-1-1.them in that situation? Act as if this is a person you already care about. If you see someone in danger, say something. You might save their life!

IF THEY ARE IN DISTRESS BUT IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY AND YOU FEEL SAFE:

• Ask someone you are with or a bystander to stay with you

• Ask if they are okay or need help

• Get them a cup of water and a snack (if you are able)

• Ask if there is someone you can contact for them

• Call Mobile Mental Health at 1-888-811-3664 (7 days a week, 11am-11pm) and ask someone to come help. You will be transferred to a member of the care team. If they are not available or if it is outside of business hours, call local law enforcement (contacts listed below in key contacts).

• • • • •

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Try having a ‘See Something, Say Something’ mentality in these situations. People often turn a blind eye when they encounter someone in crisis. But, what if this was your family member? Would you feel okay leaving

Finding a needle on the ground can be scary. Follow these steps to remove it from the area safely.

IF THE NEEDLE IS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY: 
Dispose of it yourself.

IF THE NEEDLE IS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY: 
Dispose of it yourself or call your community’s main office for assistance.

• • • • •

DISPOSING OF THE NEEDLE YOURSELF

1. Get gloves (ie. medical, rubber, gardening, or work gloves) and a hard plastic container designed for sharps (or a thick plastic bottle with a secure lid like a laundry container - clearly label it as biohazardous). Download label here.

   No gloves? Protect your hands with a garbage bag or similar.

2. Place the container on a stable surface.

3. Put on the gloves and pick up the item so the sharp end is pointing away from you. 

4. Drop the item into the container and ensure the lid is secured in place.

5. Dispose of the container in a needle drop box or a location that accepts needle returns. Avenue B Harm Reduction and some pharmacies take sharps; contact your pharmacy to confirm.

   Sharps bin locations 
   Biohazard bins may be available in public areas around the Fundy Region. Avenue B Harm Reduction has large yellow containers shaped like mailboxes located around the city. Businesses can request one by contacting Avenue B or your municipality.

6. Carefully remove your gloves and dispose of or wash them. If you are unsure of how to remove the gloves safely, watch this video.

7. Wash your hands with soap and water. 

• • • • •

REQUESTING HELP TO DISPOSE OF THE NEEDLE

Call your municipality’s customer service team to request its removal.

• • • • •

I FOLLOWED THE STEPS BUT A PUNCTURE HAPPENED. WHAT DO I DO? 

1. If the needle breaks the skin, let the cut bleed freely.

2. Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water, then apply an antiseptic like rubbing alcohol or peroxide. 

3. See a doctor immediately. The risk of getting a disease is very low, but a puncture should still be taken seriously. You may need blood tests or immunization.

• • • • •

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Not all discarded sharps come from illegal drug use. Some are used for essential medications like insulin or epinephrine. Regardless of the source, all sharps carry some risk, and the same safety steps should be followed.

You don’t need to be afraid; just careful. By handling sharps safely, we help keep our community clean and protected.

There are many reasons someone is ‘dumpster diving’, usually they are looking for food or items to sell or use. Some people survive on money they receive from recyclables, discarded clothing, and other items.

IF YOU FEEL SAFE/COMFORTABLE:

• Engage with the person, see if they need help and ask why they are going through the dumpster. Stay neutral and non-judgmental.

• Redirect to other resources (i.e. meal programs, soup kitchen, toiletry pantries, etc.). There are meals offered throughout the city every day of the week, call 211 or visit their website for information.

SUGGESTIONS TO PREVENT THIS & PROTECT YOURSELF:

• Post signage on or near dumpsters/waste cans with information about food/clothing resources

• Always shred papers with personal and/or financial information.

• Call Fresh Start Services at 506-271-0633 to see if they are able to offer help.

• Put refundables in a separate container or bag so collectors can take what they’re looking for without going through everything.

• If possible, lock up your dumpster/garbage bins.

• • • • •

IF SOMEONE IS SLEEPING IN A DUMPSTER:

This is dangerous and could result in death if trash is collected when they’re inside. Get help from Fresh Start Services or local law enforcement (numbers are listed below in key contacts) to convince them to move along.

Knowing that people who use substances are experiencing drug poisonings is very upsetting. You can’t prevent that from happening, but here are some things you can do to help.

IF YOU BELIEVE SOMEONE IS ACTIVELY EXPERIENCING A DRUG POISONING:

• Check if the person is responsive and/or can be woken without touching them

• If they are unresponsive, call 911 immediately. It is okay to have your phone on speaker. If you call and the person wasn’t experiencing a drug poisoning, you won’t be in trouble. It’s always best to call.

• Follow instructions given by the 911 operator.

• If a Naloxone kit is available, administer it following the instructions. Naloxone is a safe medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose from an opioid.

BE PROACTIVE:

• Get trained to respond to a suspected drug poisoning and carry a Naloxone kit. Avenue B provides free Naloxone training. Call them at 506-652-2437 or visit their website to schedule a session.

• Naloxone kits can be bought from pharmacies in New Brunswick; call ahead to ensure one is available. If you can’t afford to buy one, Avenue B provides kits free of charge.

• • • • •

SOME SIGNS OF A POSSIBLE DRUG POISONING

• They are not breathing

• Their breathing is very slow/shallow

• Their lips or fingertips turning blue

• Cannot be woken/is unresponsive

• • • • •

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Society tends to focus on addiction symptoms not the complex reasons behind it, leading to judgement and exclusion. Treating individuals experiencing addiction as people first and offering empathy and support promotes positive, compassionate interventions that help save lives.

Every community member wants where we live, work, and play to reflect pride in our community. People experiencing homelessness have limited resources for disposing of waste and moving their belongings. Here is some guidance and advice for how to best manage the appearance of garbage and/or abandoned belongings.

GARBAGE

• Call or email your municipality to discuss specific concerns or requests.

• Decrease litter by adding receptacles, increasing lighting, or more signage.

• Host area clean-up days to bring community members and businesses together to clean up and find solutions tailored to their needs.

ABANDONED BELONGINGS

When someone isn’t with their belongings it doesn’t always mean that they’ve been abandoned. Please don’t remove items unless they’ve been abandoned for several days. Remember, for people experiencing homelessness what they carry is often all they have and is needed for survival.

• • • • •

If it’s been less than 48 hours:
Wait until at least 48 hours have passed.

If it’s been more than 48 hours:

1. Call Fresh Start Services’ outreach team at 506-271-0633 to figure out if the person is coming back. The owner may be hospitalized or incarcerated for a short time.

2. Outreach can scan the belongings without touching them for ID and valuables like money or medication that are in plain sight.

3. If possible, outreach will remove items and tidy the site. If they are not able to do so, they will arrange for the removal of items and for the site to be cleaned by municipal services.

4. If you’re unable to connect with the outreach team, contact your municipality to have them removed.