A Conversation with Prairie Harm Reduction
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We recently had a chat with the folks at Prairie Harm Reduction. Check out our conversation!
1. Christies worked with your organization last year via the Sweet Goodness program. Tell us all the exciting things you've been doing since then?
We have continued to grow over the last year adding staff and some new projects. We continue to run our drop-in center, safe consumption site, 2 youth homes, and family services center. We also provide naloxone training and harm reduction education throughout the city and province.
2. How has the community need for your services changed in the last year?
The community need has grown in the last year. With the drug supply toxicity continuing to rise the need for the safe consumptions site, and naloxone training continues to grow. We continue to see our numbers for our drop-in center, and safe consumption site rise, and have more individuals than before accessing our services.
3. We hear you offer great training for businesses and other organizations. Tell us about that!
Yes, we do naloxone training for group bookings for your business or organization you can contact us via email. We also offer naloxone training at our drop-in center during regular hours for individuals. We also offer training on several topics including HIV, Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction, Engaging people who use substances and Service Navigation.
4. There are still misconceptions about Safe Consumption Sites. Can you talk about the importance of them in our community?
This service aims to mitigate overdose deaths, overdoses and other harmful medical consequences linked to drug use by supervising individuals as they use substances under the care of a Primary Care Paramedic. Given the alarming increase in drug toxicity within the drug supply, the establishment of safe consumption sites has become imperative. Our Safe Consumption Site currently operates without official funding. We depend on the generosity of individuals and businesses throughout Saskatchewan to sustain our operations and uphold this essential service.
5. Funding is always an issue for non-profit organizations. Can you share a bit about how funding (or lack thereof) affects you? What challenges do you face?
We couldn't do what we do without all the support from the local community in forms of donations of food and clothing to the drop-in center, donations through our website, community fundraising initiatives and the support of our merchandise with designs by local Saskatchewan artists. The merchandise sales all go to the safe consumption site, as we have never received funding for it.
We have recently lost some support with the change in the Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, from the Saskatchewan government in the form of supplies including pipes, and other supplies that we use regularly. The cost for these supplies is $24,000 a year, which we now have to afford ourselves. We have a "Pipe Prohibition Fund" to raise the money for the additional costs.
6. In addition to financial donations, how can folks help PHR?
We have a lot of ways to help out at PHR. There is always the option to donate through our website, we accept donations of clothing, food, toiletries, coffee/tea. We also accept and are always in need of baby/kid products including diapers, wipes, formula, for our family service centre.
We also have an Amazon wish list with products we use regularly that individuals can purchase and they get shipped directly to us. We also look for volunteers, more information on all the ways to donate and help out PHR can be found on our website prairiehr.ca or follow us on social media to see what we are up to.
Comments
Andrada Marincas —
Thank you for the Support!