An interventionist program which includes downtown St. John’s in its mandate says it is facing unprecedented demand for its services.

Street Reach, a wing of the group Thrive, received $150,000 from the City of St. John’s this year to connect with people in need during the daylight hours. It’s the 20th year for Street Reach which provides crisis intervention, snacks, harm reduction supplies, and cleanup of improperly discarded drug paraphernalia such as needles.

Within the first six weeks of operation this summer, outreach workers supported 187 people and provided 862 goods and services. In the first quarter of 2024, Street Reach’s drop-in service had a 116 per cent increase in the number of visits compared with last year.

Thrive executive director Angela Crockwell says those numbers don’t tell the full story.

“The 187 are unique individuals but our workers would have had contact with many more than the 187 we count as unique in their needs,” says Crockwell.

Crockwell is not sure why there has been such a large increase in demand, but it’s not unique to this city or province as similar needs are being seen elsewhere in the country and beyond.

She says poverty is definitely an issue in Newfoundland and Labrador. Crockwell also notes that with the living wage, at least in the area of the Avalon Peninsula, estimated to be $25 per hour, our income support rates are not just below the poverty line, they’re way below the poverty line.

Thrive hired two street-based outreach workers in May to provide supports and services to folks in the downtown core five days a week, typically from 10:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.