Harm Reduction
We specialize in providing comprehensive care for people who use drugs and have sex. We integrate choice and health education for people who use drugs into our healthcare, mental healthcare, and case management. This includes providing safer drug use and sex supplies, education, medication assisted treatment, wound care, sexually transmitted infection (STI) care, overdose prevention, amnesty lockers, and linkage to in and outpatient substance use treatment. This approach goes hand-in-hand with our “Housing First” philosophy, meaning that clients can obtain housing and receive supportive services regardless of their substance use and other high-risk behaviors.
staff attended Narcan training during fy 24/25
In alignment with Harm Reduction practices, The People Concern’s Narcan program is dedicated to preventing overdose deaths. Accidental drug overdoses are a leading cause of death for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. Narcan nasal spray, a life-saving tool, reverses opioid overdoses. All of The People Concern’s staff are trained in how to administer Narcan and provide community distribution of Narcan bags allowing clients to administer Narcan out in the community. Narcan is available at all of our sites in addition to staff and clients actively responding to overdoses out in the community.
Harm reduction is just one component of our comprehensive approach to substance use. Our staff work with clients in a variety of settings to either provide substance use counseling directly or refer them to additional substance use treatment support. We also continue to innovate. For example, we recently launched an innovative pilot program, Housing Retention Contingency Management in partnership with the Department of Health Services, a pilot program which supports high-acuity clients living with substance use disorders. This program has improved mental health and housing retention outcomes for some of our highest-need clients.