In this section, I describe and discuss the literature on the following topics:

• What is Harm Reduction?
• Harm Reduction with Injection Drug Users
  • Addiction
  • Quality of Service
  • What does Progress look like?
  • The role of the Harm Reduction Worker
  • Peer Programs
  • Holistic approaches to harm reduction
• Harm Reduction with Sex Trade Workers
  • Violence
  • Health
  • Poverty
• Literacy Programs with Homeless people, Women in Conflict with the Law, and Survivors of Violence

Each section is concluded with a description of the “lessons for literacy work” and the entire section concludes with a summary of the lessons organized by the three Research questions:

1. What is Harm Reduction and how does it affect Downtown Eastside residents who engage in high-risk behaviours?
2. How does Harm Reduction link to learning?
3. How can Capilano College and our partner learning centres support harm reduction in our learning activities?

In some parts of this literature review, I have included comments by Sarah Evans. She is reacting to the literature on Harm Reduction with Drug Users, bringing her specialized experience as manager of Vancouver’s Safe Injection Site (InSite) into the review. Each of her comments is prefaced with “Sarah’s response”.