Womens Harm Reduction

Women’s only harm reduction spaces: a pilot  

Women experience significant barriers to accessing treatment and harm reduction services. These include a lack of a safe women-only space, a lack of expertise around women and gender issues in harm reduction services, fears around referrals to children safeguarding, and structural barriers caused by opening hours.

Project 6 is to pilot an out-of-hours, women-only space, where women can access specialist, gender sensitive harm reduction advice. The space, situated within the wider Third Place* service, will be women and family-friendly, based on the principles of co-design and co-production.

This will be a 6-month pilot project, during which qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered to evaluate the impact of this work and, over time, transition to a peer delivery model with women who use drugs and have experience of accessing NSP provision, supported by Project 6.

Next steps

Updates on the progress of this project will be shared here, including key developments, learning, and any changes to how the space is delivered.

Current next steps:

  • Preparing the space and resources for delivery
  • Planning coproduction workshops to shape service delivery
  • Develop materials to promote service and launch Summer 2026

Please check back for updates as the project evolves.

*The Third Place

The Third Place is a welcoming, trauma-informed community space for people who are often excluded from or disengaged with traditional services. Based on sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s “Third Place” theory, it provides:

  • A space people choose to attend (a person’s third place)
  • Informal connection, familiarity and safety
  • A gateway to health, housing and substance use support

The Third Place is delivered from the garden and cafe space at Project 6’s building at Devonshire Street, Keighley.

Who We Work With

We support people experiencing:

  • Street drinking and substance use
  • Homelessness, sofa surfing, or rough sleeping
  • Poor mental and physical health
  • Disengagement from services
  • Multiple and complex needs

Our Aim

To break cycles of crisis and exclusion by:

  • Meeting people where they are
  • Reducing harm
  • Building trust and relationships
  • Improving access to health and wider support
  • Creating pathways into sustained change

What We Off­er

  • Safe, managed drop-in space
  • 2 breakfasts + 1 evening meal per week
  • Laundry, showers and dignity facilities
  • Harm reduction and self-care support
  • Psych[i]osocial interventions (MI, AUDIT, care plans)
  • In reach primary care and health appointments
  • Support with housing, benefits and referrals
  • Peer support lunches and informal groups
  • Gardening and games groups to reduce isolation

Our Model

Relationship-based, person-centred, flexible support. We focus on:

  • Meeting basic needs first (food, warmth, safety)
  • Then, taking a holistic wellbeing approach
  • Choice, dignity and consistency
  • Assertive outreach and engagement
  • Harm reduction and relapse prevention
  • Building social connections and purpose