Opinion: Denver homeless hotel diary: Overdoses common here

Photo bySandy MillaronUnsplash

Saturday, Aug. 31 is Overdose Awareness Day. Unfortunately, we are all too aware of overdoses at Fusion Studios, the homeless hotel run by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless where I live.

Just this week, a man in his thirties perished in a room down the hall from me. I spoke with the person whose room it is after the incident. He said his friend who was visiting recently was released from jail. His tolerance for fentanyl had fallen while incarcerated, my neighbor explained.

Another neighbor told me paramedics dragged the body of the deceased into the hallway by the elevator “and didn’t even cover them with a sheet.” They tried to revive him with Narcan and other methods, my neighbor said. A second neighbor confirmed this.

I feel terrible for my neighbor, who was visibly upset. His friend was far from the first fatal overdose at Fusion Studios. There have been several.

We even had a remembrance ceremony last year for fallen residents. I became particularly upset when a man down the hall overdosed. He was one of the first. This man used to dance at the intersection of 37^th and Quebec with his walker while panhandling. I always got a kick out of him. He always asked me if I had a soda. I always gave him one. He clearly lived with a lot of disabilities and had been beaten up by life on the street.

Lawrence always said to me, “I like you. You’re such a positive, likable person.” This always made me blush. The truth is I’m not always positive and plenty of people don’t like me. It was a great compliment, especially coming from Lawrence.

Harm reduction tips

The day after Lawrence died, peer specialists from Colorado Coalition for the Homeless went door to door in my building, asking people to please not use drugs by themselves.

“Substance Abuse Safety Plan,” reads one flier handed out to residents by the peer advisors. It offered tips such as:

· “Have a spotter. Use a virtual spotter such as a friend or overdose prevention service like Never Use Alone, Brave, Canary, NORS, etc.”

· “Have Naloxone (Narcan) ready, in case it needs to be used.”

· “Test your substance.”

· “Unlock the door, whenever possible, so that EMS doesn’t have to break the door down.”

Another flier said, “Never Use Alone” and urges drug users to dial (800)484-3731 if they do. “One of our operators will stay on the line with you while you use, to try and ensure that you don’t die from fentanyl poisoning.”

Inebriated resident kicks in doors

There is a resident here who gets smashed every night and kicks in doors on the third floor where I live, screaming profanities at the top of her lungs. I was going to write about how I yelled back at her this week and told her to pipe down, and how it seemed to help. She quieted down for a while. But last night she was back at it, and it woke me up at 2:30 a.m. Then I could not get back to sleep because I could hear the mice scurrying around my room, which is just gross. The rodent problem here is severe and it just does not seem like they are making any headway. I know they are doing all they can. They put “humane” traps in our rooms last week. My trap already caught two. One of them had its tail hanging out of the box. Gross.

Still, I am doing much better overall now that I have a new computer, new phone, and new internet provider. Thankfully, it was a blessed payday this month. I should have invested in these things a long time ago. Neighbors tell me (and I have confirmed) that the internet still is not dependable in the building.

Therapist back from childbirth leave

Overall, it has been quiet around here lately. The screamer last night was the first outburst in a while. If they could get the mice problem resolved (which I realize is a tall order) I would feel much better. I am also concerned that the program manager left and her position likely will not be filled quickly. She did a lot of work here including managing the housing retention (discipline) program. And she is a no-nonsense kind of person. She seemed very effective in her position, which made this place safer.

The good news is my therapist is back from childbirth leave. I will get to meet with her this afternoon. As I have said many times, the healthcare I have received from the Coalition is the best I have received anywhere. I am very grateful for my housing and my healthcare despite my critical reports. I am just doing my job.