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“I’m just supportive of being able to hire a person who’s in the alley to do the work immediately. It’s really important to have really low-barrier front line work and there’s also an importance that people can move up and on in positions where they have some security,” she said.

Dean Wilson started volunteering before working a few hours per week for a stipend. He reached full employment with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use and has a small contract with PHS.

People who are able to achieve stable employment are “perfect” for a union, he said, but he wants to ensure that those who aren’t still have a chance to get their foot in the door.

There will always be some people who aren’t capable of holding down a regular job from the outset, and others who never will be, he said.

“Without those original opportunities I wouldn’t be around,” Wilson said, adding that he is neither for nor against unionization.

Wilson also expressed concern that the realities of life in the Downtown Eastside could conflict with typical union structures, which he said needs to be taken into consideration.

Casual workers are paid immediately and people living at the poverty line can’t always wait the typical two-week period for a $40 paycheque, he said. Those who depend on welfare benefits also shouldn’t risk losing them, he added.

“Is the union going to give them the same medical they’re getting through welfare if they’re only working four hours (a week)?” he asked.

But Wilson said he also hopes unionization would mean greater mental health support for peer workers, some of whom respond to between six and 10 overdoses in a day.

“You see the police talking and the fire department about their guys needing to take stress leave,” he said. “We’re the real first responders a lot of the time and handle way more overdoses than they do.”

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