How widespread are the homeless/mental health/addiction issues in your city/province?

[giallo]

After being away from Canada for 20 years, I arrived back late last year. It's wonderful being back home, and I've found getting back into the swing of things quite a bit easier than I had initially thought. One thing that I've noticed though, is how much worse the mental health/homeless/addiction issues are, and that they are abundant everywhere I go in BC.

Vancouver has always had some serious issues. Homelessness is nothing new, but it seems far more widespread throughout the city these days, and the introduction of fentanyl and a new form of meth has really made a visual mark on the people that use them. The people on the street seem far more erratic, and a danger to themselves, and, of course, others.

What I've found particularly surprising is how bad it is outside of Vancouver. I've recently made my way to Terrace, BC for work, and it's beautiful. The entire area between Smithers to Terrace is drop dead gorgeous, and a trip that everyone should do if given the opportunity. One of the biggest surprises, besides the beauty of the area, is that Terrace suffers from the exact same issues Vancouver does. The downtown of Terrace is home to a lot of people suffering from mental health issues and serious drug abuse. When talking with the locals, it's something that's only happened in the past few years, and they're still trying to wrap their heads around how a small, prosperous town like Terrace has so many issues like this.

My hometown of Kelowna has these issues, especially downtown. It's noticeable everywhere you go. A lot of people in need of serious help left to self-medicate using stepped-on, unregulated drugs.

Is this just a BC thing? Have you noticed a major uptick in addiction and homelessness in your area?