A Welland man who pushed for Niagara Region to declare an emergency surrounding homelessness, mental health and addictions is now pushing for more to be done to enhance services for all three across Niagara.
Steven Soos, who freely admits to having his own struggles with addiction and mental health, has crafted a motion – he will need to find two members of Regional Council to bring the motion to chambers – that calls on the Region to take steps to improve services to address issues he sees as urgent. Soos will come before the Region’s Public Health and Social Services Committee on Feb. 4 looking for that support.
“We're coming up on the second anniversary of being in a state of emergency for mental health, homelessness and addiction,” Soos said. “We haven't seen much movement from the Province on the matter. We did see $20.8 million invested in homelessness, but I have not heard an acknowledgement or a response from Doug Ford."
Soos, 30, has had his own struggles with mental health. He was arrested and charged with mischief by Niagara Regional Police back in August 2023 after making two calls to police providing information that the police service described in both instances as “not accurate.”
He eventually pleaded no contest to the charges and attended the Brentwood Recovery Home in Windsor for just under eight months. It is his having to go to Windsor for treatment – he just marked eight months sober – that spurred Soos to bring forward his motion.
He is calling on the committee to support:
• An expansion of the CMHA safe beds program
• A full complement of mental health services for the Welland hospital
• Niagara Region explore strategies that support mental health diversion from community hospitals.
• Private rooms in Niagara's withdrawal management service (Detox)
• An expansion of withdrawal management beds in Niagara Region
• An expansion of Addiction supportive housing (ASH program) for individuals in recovery.
• An expansion of drug treatment (rehab) centers in the Niagara Region with longer stays.
• More support for gambling and sex addiction.
• Advocating to the province for an increase in funding for our Housing Focused Emergency Shelters the Niagara Region.
• A more integrated approach for mental health and addiction services within Niagara's shelters.
Soos is also requesting Niagara’s MPPs and MPs, Niagara-area municipalities, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara Health, Hamilton Health Sciences, CASON-Community Addiction Services of Niagara, the Ontario Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be copied on the motion with a request for response.
While he is looking for support from the Regional committee, Soos said he is prepared to petition each municipality individually as he did with the emergency declaration if that what it takes.
“I'm always prepared to do it,” Soos said.
Soos will be bolstered by Cheryl Rowe, a mental health advocate who ran for Welland City Council in the 2022 municipal election. Rowe, 57, has had her own interactions with the mental health system after one of her children was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was in treatment for months but it now doing well, is employed and living outside of Niagara.
She appreciates Soos’ efforts.
“Steven was out there fighting for everybody else when he needed to help himself,” Rowe said.
Better services are desperately needed, she said, citing specifically that the current 21-day maximum allowed stay in a mental health facility is insufficient.
“Look at Steven and him being in for eight months. Look at my son and him being in for five months,” Rowe said. “It takes longer than 21 days.”
More is needed to help people for both addictions and mental health in, she added.
“You need a good rehabilitation program,” she said.
In addition to his campaign surrounding homelessness and addictions, Soos has been active politically, running for office municipally and provincially, including running in a by-election in Pelham’s Ward 1 in 2020 to fill Councillor Mike Ciolfi's seat after he passed away in April of that year.
