1. Harm Reduction Services: Building Trust Through Authentic Outreach Melinda Ruger- Executive Director

2. Mission: "We have a genuine passion for promoting health and hope without limits for all people through harm reduction.”

3. Syringe Exchange HIV/HCV/STD testing Ryan White Case Management JVMC – Free medical clinic Risk Reduction Education & Counseling Overdose Prevention & Response
Street Outreach
Monday – Saturday
various hours & locations
across several cities

4. Streetside and Rural Services: Real Accessibility
Naloxone Training (Overdose Response)
Syringe Exchange & Disposal
Condoms, Lube and Sexual Health Education
Health & Risk Reduction Education
Linkage and Referral to Medical, Shelter, Crisis Respite, Housing Resources, Medicaid Enrollment
HIV/HCV Testing
Survival Supply Distribution

5. Outreach : Removing Barriers & Meeting Folks Where They Are At:
Principles and Values of Our Work
Safety: For Our Team & The People We Serve
Self-determination – non-coersive interactions and service provision
Relationship Building : Longitudinal, establishing relationships with camps and communities.
Deference and understanding of community norms
IE. DO NOT bring uninvited guests, unnecessary attention or media
Gatekeepers
(Their “House”, their rules) (Our house, our rules)
Right services for the right folks

6. RESPECT THE STRUGGLE: Empowering Community
Listen For Community Expertise: Community Leadership
Provide resources, referral Info and supplies To community leaders (secondary distribution and connections)
Invite unhoused community to share about challenges, barriers and limitations of existing community resource systems they try to access
Center voices of community members with lived experience of homelessness, marginalization, substance use, mental health challenges and history of oppression

7. Why Harm Reduction Programs Are Optimal To Reach Our Unhoused Community:
Working at the intersections of marginalization
Vulnerability factors for program participants
Housing is Harm Reduction
Competence and capability in working through issues connected to loss of housing
Existing foundations of trust in the community & connections to unhoused folks that traditional providers and outreach have difficulty connecting with

8. For more information on Harm Reduction Services‘ programs contact Melinda Ruger : Executive Director Harmreductionservices.org