Harm reduction is for people in our communities who do risky things. Some of these risks are:
We accept, for better and for worse, that these activities are part of our world. We do not ask people to stop doing them, but try to help them be safer, take control and make changes only when they are ready.
Angel: Hustle, hustle, hustle, I’ll trade you this, I’ll trade you that. Margaret is actually the first person I saw down here. (I’m going to cry now) she is the first person who protected me at the Women’s Centre when I got in an altercation with one of the girls. I didn’t know the protocol of how to exist down here. (Focus Group #2)
According to Murray and Ferguson, the “crisis management” stage is characterized by depleting assets, living in crisis and cycling in and out of chaotic use. Initial contributions to our Harm Reduction brainstorms usually had to do with activities related to physical and health needs. For example, people talked about getting enough food, finding a place to sleep or live, cleanliness and having the means to clean themselves. Others talked about health care issues, such as having access to an ‘experienced, certifiable care-giver” and medical facilities available 24 hours a day so you won’t have to go to the hospital or spend hours on Fastrack”Footnote 10 (Focus group #2). One participant talked about her involvement with the Dr Peter Centre, a facility for HIV and AIDS patients. (Focus Group written responses)
Return to footnote 10 Fasttrack is a central phone number set up to refer drug-users to detoxification centres and rehabilitation programs. At the time the research was being conducted, many participants said they had to wait a long time to speak to a counsellor and often did not get the help they needed.