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ywca regina addresses resource challenges at lafontaine death inquest
"specific to fentanyl use, the expectations that are put on our organization are not within our means or resources or capacity."
aug 21 2024
4 minute read
a sign outside the regina ywca is shown on jan. 9, 2024.
heywood yu
/
regina leader-post
regina ywca’s ceo says more responsibilities are being downloaded onto staff as the community deals with a worsening addictions crisis.
“our shelter, my aunt’s place, is contracted to provide nothing more than a cot and food,” explained melissa coomber-bendtsen during day 3 of an inquest into the death of nicole lafontaine.
lafontaine died on july 22, 2023 after falling from a fifth-floor window at the ywca, where coomber-bendtsen said staff are not equipped to deal with fentanyl and myriad physical and mental health issues triggered by the potent opiate .
“specific to fentanyl use, the expectations that are put on our organization are not within our means or resources or capacity,” she said.
in fact, as ceo she has wondered if it makes sense to keep regina’s only emergency women’s shelter open given the strain it puts on the organization and the needs presented there.
“we contemplate on a daily basis whether or not it would be better for us to completely shut it down,” said coomber-bendtsen. “we don’t have the resources we need.”
the inquest also heard from april markus, the assistant director of my aunt’s place, who shed light on why there was no staff on the fifth floor when the incident occurred. while there is office space on that floor, it was being renovated, which meant staffers were working on the sixth floor when lafontaine’s roommate alerted them about what was happening, she explained.
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“we are not mental health professionals” at the ywca, markus emphasized, adding that there is a considerable “lack of resources” for people in need.
during the inquest, coomber-bendtsen, markus and other senior staff at the ywca emphasized that the issue at play is much larger than a window at their facility. that was a focus of questioning earlier this week when it was noted that the crank in lafontaine’s room was broken, allowing the window to open wider than normal.
jurors asked about the windows in the new ywca building, which is currently under construction . coomber-bendtsen said the new facility will comport to more modern standards, akin to hotel rooms, which limit how wide windows can be opened.
three staff members working at the ywca on the day lafontaine died were called as witnesses on tuesday, as was a senior director.
ywca legal counsel dan leblanc questioned serine finlayson, who called police that morning, about who was working on the sixth floor at the time.
he asked what help was offered after she saw lafontaine on the ground below the fifth-floor room. finlayson said she was in shock, disturbed by what she saw, and added that the ywca did not offer staff counselling after the incident.
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“i called 811 and talked to a nurse (on the 24-hour healthline) until i felt better,” said finlayson.
“i hope that changes,” responded coroner’s counsel robin ritter.
elizabeth asala was the worker tending to the fifth floor the night before lafontaine’s death. asala said she made a point to check on her more frequently that night after noticing odd behaviour.
“it happened very, very fast,” said asala.
after a check-in on the fifth floor, she barely had time to make it back to her sixth-floor office, sit down and enter a password before toria bellegarde knocked on the door to tell them her roommate was trying to get out the window.
on monday, bellegarde told inquest jurors that she thought lafontaine was experiencing some sort of psychosis, and lafontaine’s mother valerie spoke of her daughter’s past struggles with addiction and overdoses.
valerie asked ywca regina’s senior director of women’s housing cora gajari about the organization’s policies related to drug use.
according to ywca log books, it was believed nicole had been using during her stay at the shelter.
lafontaine did seek suboxone treatment on july 21, the day before she died. gajari said staff sought to monitor the resident instead of kicking them out.
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“i think that puts the women that use at higher risk,” said gajari. “they could use and die in the street, or they can use and be under the watch of our staff.”
she said a zero-tolerance policy would only serve to further “marginalize” and “isolate” the residents.
“our main responsibility is to provide a roof over somebody’s head and a pillow, and they need much more than that,” gajari said tuesday, prompting inquest coroner aaron fox to seek clarity around what services are provided by the ywca, which gajari noted is contracted by the saskatchewan housing corporation.
fox made the point that even though many of the residents may need additional supports, the ywca is “not contracted to, for example, provide detox services or psychiatric services.”
gajari agreed.
the inquest continued wednesday morning before fox charged the six-person jury and sent them to deliberate.
“how much weight do our recommendations have out there?” asked one of the jurors.
they “do have weight,” fox responded. but while he would love to tell them in a year’s time that 100 per cent of the recommendations had been implemented, “that would be incorrect.”
“they do help,” he added. “they help with change and sometimes it’s not an immediate change. sometimes it is.”
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