The Windsor Essex County Health Unit board members say the numbers they are seeing in the usage of the SafePoint site are right where they expected them to be.
During the Health Unit board meeting on Thursday afternoon, it was shown that since SafePoint opened on April 26, there have been 74 client visits amongst 32 unique clients.
The age demographic for those using the site range between 25 and 64 years old and are predominately male.
No overdoses have been reported on-site to date.
As of May 17, there were 43 client visits, 20 of those were unique clients.
Client visits at SafePoint over the period of May 1 to May 31 showed that just over 50 per cent of those visiting the site weren't there for consumption services, but to receive information about care and services offered to them in the community.
Eric Nadalin, Director of Public Health Programs at Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, says he's happy with where the numbers at currently at.
"It's going to take some time to continue to build up trust within the community of our clients. And we're right on track with that. So we're excited about where the numbers are at now, we're very happy with the number of people we've been able to help to date. And early on into the next month we're seeing that trajectory continue to grow. So very happy with where things are at currently."
Nadalin says they are working hard to ensure their vulnerable communities are engaged after seeing a slight decrease in women using the site from when it first opened.
"We certainly did that in our first few weeks of operations and our numbers reflected that. I think what we're seeing now is a little bit more in line with the trends that we see across the province. It's always going to be a focus of ours to continue to engage women in our process at SafePoint, and make sure that it's an experience that they're comfortable coming to."
Dr. Ken Blanchette, CEO of Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, says many individuals are using the wraparound services available.
"What I really like in the statistics that you're seeing, it's not only just the individuals are unique individuals, you're seeing those that are returning to the site so they're feeling comfortable there. But it's when you look at the statistics of those that are engaging in the wraparound services, there's a good portion of them that are already feeling comfortable in doing that."
The Health Unit is still currently waiting for approval to be called a 'Consumption and Treatment Services site' and are still waiting for provincial funding, however Blanchette says WECHU is in constant talks with the province.
The site, located at 101 Wyandotte Street East, is open seven days a week between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.