Mark Smith was asked by a Fraser St. Resident if mentally ill are more violent than the general public:
"People with mental illness are no more violent than people without a mental illness." 1
Why then is RainCity Housing, which Mark Smith is the CEO, advertising a Casual Support position for the supportive housing at Fraser St. with the following description:
"Is this job for you? It is not a counseling job in a pleasant office. You are required to interact compassionately with people who many exhibit frustrating, difficult and potentially violent behaviour due to substance use ..." 2
Rather than believe Mark Smith or anyone else from RainCity Housing, NIABY refers to data from the American Journal of Psychiatry:
"Among male schizophrenics with a known substance abuse problem 29.7% (almost one third) had a conviction for a violent offence. (Violent behaviour did not include threatening behaviour or property damage. Violent behaviour included assault, causing serious injury and homicide.)" 3 (Learn more »)
Despite all the medical evidence to the contrary Mark Smith and RainCity Housing are guaranteeing "clean and sober" without frequent random drug testing of all tenants in the Fraser St. supportive housing:
2004 - Mark Smith, CEO of RainCity Housing answering Fraser St. residents:
"The four story 39 room recovery shelter would house people with serious mental illness in the 'last stages' of recovering from addiction", said Mark Smith, executive director of RainCity Housing. "It will be the only [facility] where we can guarantee they will be clean and sober." 4
There is no valid scientific literature on addiction anywhere in the world which can guarantee no relapses with a community treatment program. But the RainCity Housing Centre at 5616 Fraser St. is guaranteeing it and all without random frequent drug testing of all tenants.
"We [RainCity Housing Fraser St.] will be housing who are well along in their recovery. They’ve already done the relapsing over and over again. They've learned how to deal with those relapses. Now they require a clean and sober place to live while they put the 'finishing touches' on creating a stable life." 5
Why haven't Mark Smith and RainCity Housing published in a peer reviewed journal on addiction their methods for determining when someone has experience their last relapse into drug use? As far as NIABY can determine, there's no one else in the world except for Mark Smith and RainCity Housing on Fraser St can determine when the last relapse will be.
"Smith, RainCity Housing's executive director, is relieved the fight is over." 6
Mr. Smith seems to think that RainCity Housing and the City of Vancouver don’t have to be accountable for what goes on inside the building and its impact of its clients in the neighbourhood now that the building has been built. Mr. Smith and the City of Vancouver, have no proof that their supportive housing is an effective and responsible use of tax payers' money. The only peer reviewed published medical literature on mentally ill drug addicts in supportive housing is dismal with 70% using drugs or alcohol again within a matter of weeks. 7 (Learn more »)
RainCity Housing needs to validate the Fraser St. supportive housing project with independent monitoring, auditing and evaluation of critical outcomes. Frequent, random urine and hair samples tests are critical to confirming that drug addicts in the supportive housing on Fraser St. are able to maintain a sustained abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Without this testing the public will never know if the RainCity Housing Centre at Fraser St. is a "solution" and therefore an effective use of taxpayers money.
Published September 3, 2007.