Mr. Shane Hamilton:

I will outline the insidious nature of drug-related intimidation and accruing debts. A very vulnerable woman, for example, could be using substances in the home and building up a debt. She is allowed accrue an even larger debt and then individuals will start to use her house to produce more crack cocaine, hold drugs or let other men into the house to use drugs in the house with impunity. That vulnerable woman might also feel stigma about coming forward to a local service to discuss her fears because of other implications that might have for her and her family. That is why we need skilled practitioners on the ground able to manage these vulnerable individuals. Not every home is a crack-using or distributing centre from which people need to be evicted. We do not want to displace large numbers of people onto the streets because we missed the opportunity to intervene effectively. This is why we need better systems and responses to this. We can no longer be reactive.