Harm Reduction Support Services
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At the beginning of July, 2009, RainCity Housing launched our Harm Reduction Support Services program. This Vancouver Coastal Health funded program provides needle exchange and recovery services throughout the community, specifically late at night and outside Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The goals of this program are to create a healthier and safer community, and provide education to individuals and community groups so they can make healthier choices.
Needle Recovery
If you find a discarder syringe in your neighbourhood call the Needle Pick-up hotline and the ‘Community Pick-up Van’ will be there to recover and dispose of it safely. The hotline offers rapid needle recovery service 7 days a week, 19 hours a day, and the hours of operation are 7am until 2am. We also provide safe needle disposal boxes to community business and empty them regularly.
The Needle Pick-up hotline is: 604.657.6561
Needle Exchange
This mobile service provides clean needles and other harm reduction supplies with the goal of preventing the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C and other infections that can result from unsafe practices. While giving out harm reduction supplies, staff take the opportunity to teach our clients safer harm reduction practices.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the hotline or the exchange, please contact Manny Cu at 604.376.6067 or send him an email at mcu@raincityhousing.org
