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KREM
KXLY
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KREM
SEATTLE — Now a licensed clinician and recovery advocate, Marcos Sauri embarked on his own recovery journey years ago. On the other side of addiction, Sauri is driven to help everyone he can find hope for their own futures.
"I was a heroin addict, and at a young age I knew I had a problem and I had an opportunity to be given a second chance," Sauri said. "Not by my choice, but I ended up at a place where they gave me the help and I never left. I volunteered, they sent me to school, it wasn't my choice that I wanted to be in the business, in the field, but's how I ended up here."
Sauri said most people don't understand that it's not always as easy as waking up and choosing to stop using.
"It's not an overnight thing. You end up there, you don't want to be there, but you don't know how to stop it," Sauri said. "The turning point was to see my first-born and mother suffering."
He said reducing stigma is key and believes a change in societal perspectives is necessary and coming.
"As a society, we didn't use to really care about recycling," Sauri said. "Now, it's a norm... we can go talk about prohibition, alcohol, whatever it was at the turn of the century, birth control, viewpoints change, and this one needs to change too. There's so much stigma and misunderstanding and misconceptions of what addiction is."
This week, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) released new provisional data showing drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 2,000 in 2021, which the department says was a more than 66% increase compared to 2019. It says overdose deaths increased across all demographics, with a majority of people dying tending to be male and age 45 or younger. The DOH says the increase is fastest growing among Black, Latin and Native American/Alaskan Native people.
Nonprofit "Not One More" Seattle unites community members impacted in one way or another by substance abuse, addiction or loss. They, too, echo Sauri's desire to change societal perceptions, encouraging more education on harm reduction and pointing to the need for more resources, including treatment beds.
Watch their full interview here:
While they hold many events in the community, they sometimes have trouble attracting attendees.
"Because everyone is so ashamed of having an addict in their family, nobody shows up, or they think it's not going to happen to them. So, in a school of 1,000 students we were lucky to have parents, maybe 25 to be honest with you," said Kelli Vogel. "I get it. I was there one time. But if we don't start talking about it, nothing's going to get done."
They encourage people to get involved to find support and work toward change.
"What they have to gain is to know they're not alone and to talk about it because when you're a parent who's faced, in my situation, my son came to me and said, 'I'm withdrawing from heroin,' and I had no idea he was even using," Kim Chilcott said. "And I didn't know what to do, and I took him to Swedish downtown to the ER. He went to detox and rehab in Yakima, but then 21 days later they say, 'you've graduated, you're all good.' No. It's not that simple. It takes years."
The DOH encourages people to consider carrying naloxone to help prevent deaths from opioid overdose.
"To access naloxone at a pharmacy, call ahead to make sure they have it in stock and show this standing order to the pharmacist, which is a prescription for everyone in the state to use. Use this link to find naloxone near you," the DOH said in a statement.
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KXLY
April 13, 2022 7:31 PM
Updated: April 14, 2022 7:11 AM
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Department of Transportation says it has a plan to clean up the growing homeless camp in East Central Spokane. Neighbors say they want it moved now before they move away for good.
“I’m hoping that it’ll either get better, or we’ll have to move somewhere safer,” said Marcie Thom. She’s lived nearby the camp for about three years and is worried about her family’s safety.
She wants to get her family out of this neighborhood doesn’t let her daughter play outside anymore.
“There’s people in that back alley all the time from the homeless camp down the street,” she said.
She’s not alone in her frustrations.
“This has been a very good neighborhood up until four months ago,” said Neil Hansen. He’s lived in his home on East Fifth Avenue since the 1980’s. He says everyone looks out for each other, and he always felt safe.
When the camp right off I-90 next to the Fred Meyer or Thor Street started to grow, Hansen says the neighborhood started to change.
“I’m frustrated. The neighborhood’s frustrated. I’ve had things stolen off my front porch,” he said.
The city says a new shelter is opening soon at 4320 E. Trent Ave. With no set opening date, the Department Of Transportation is still waiting to clear the camp. In a statement shared with 4 News Now on Wednesday, they said:
“Once the space is available, we will post notice for those at the encampment to vacate the property, then work with our local partners and law enforcement agencies to have the encampment removed and cleaned up.” -Ryan Overton, Communications Manager for WSDOT Eastern Region
If campers don’t leave, Mayor Nadine Woodward says people need to be held accountable.
“At some point, we need to be able to tell people — listen, you can’t make this decision for yourself. We’re going to step in and make it for you,” Woodward said.
These neighbors feel like a decision was made for them to allow a homeless camp to grow in their neighborhood. It’s one they never asked for.
“It’s time to go. It really is time to go,” Hansen said.