#bringbackharmreduction
Tomorrow, on International Overdose Awareness day, we are launching a call to action.
The drug and alcohol sector is in crisis. Drug related deaths are increasing at a phenomenal rate and in Scotland they are the highest in the whole world. Harm Reduction has fallen further and further down the agenda, with an absolute policy void at government level, who have recently focused on pursuing abstinence masquerading as Recovery at all costs.
For many years the smaller, community focused organisations who historically delivered these services, who know their communities inside out and are trusted, have been closed down as larger contracts and processes forced them out. We believe these two issues are interlinked. While this has been happening we have found it harder and harder to find our voice. So we are coming together to do that. Our aim is twofold:
- Create a coherent and single voice with the aim of bringing back a strategic focus on and prioritisation of harm reduction in its purest sense
- Promote the role of smaller, locally connected, harm reduction focused organisations and their role in redeveloping harm reduction services, to the priority level they were 10-15 years ago.
We are a currently small group of providers who have been talking about this and our desire to #bringbackharmreduction. Our call to action is for passionate harm reductionists from small/medium sized organisation to connect with us.
Planning meeting. Friday 1st AM November.
Venue: The Kings Fund, London.
Contact: Vicki from Project 6 in the first instance on vicki.beere@project6.org.uk