Tag: Hacks for Preventing Escalation

Street outreach is one of the most direct and personal ways to connect with people who might not otherwise engage with services. Often done on foot and out of backpacks, this work requires careful preparation, deep respect for people’s space, and a strong sense of safety and teamwork.

• A convenient way to pack supplies is in pre-made kits that contain a set number of syringes or pipes and sufficient supplies for safer use.
• Limit the number of sizes of syringes you carry to two or three.
• Make sure the bags and/or vehicles are packed leaving enough time for transiting to your locations.
• Create and maintain internal area maps of participant locations.
• Outreach exchange should always be treated respectfully and as if it is a form of home delivery. This means that campsites and other temporary housing is treated as if it is a private residence. Harm reduction workers should always ask for consent to enter, especially the first time that they appear in an area.
• Because supplies are limited, make sure to manage supplies and participants’ expectations carefully.
• Only do outreach in pairs or triads and never leave each other’s line of sight.
• Think about using a wagon or rovers, like those sold by the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance, to increase the quantity of supplies you’re able to haul.

Running harm reduction services from a vehicle adds mobility and reach—but also comes with its own set of logistical challenges. From packing and maintenance to mapping routes and finding parking, thoughtful planning helps keep things smooth and sustainable.

• Make sure the bags and/or vehicles are packed leaving enough time for transiting to your locations.
• Create vehicle maintenance schedules and make sure they have a point person.
• Create and maintain internal area maps of participant locations.
• If you are maintaining a large vehicle like an RV or bread truck, find a secure parking space and treat it like gold. Be sure to ask your larger community for leads on this. Harm reduction leaders report that this is one of the most difficult aspects of actually owning a vehicle, one that they may have wanted for many years.
• Pack out your vehicles every night unless it is inside a garage.
• Try to set up an area where there will be fewer objections from neighbors, away from residential or retail commercial areas.

Personal safety during mobile outreach has a slightly different dynamic than brick and mortar spots with walls and lots of people. Mobile outreach by definition takes place on the street, in peoples campsites, in trap houses, and in other environments where misconduct is simply more likely. As a consequence it’s really important that people who do mobile harm reduction services think carefully about their personal boundaries and safety while on the job. Some suggestions from harm reduction leaders include:

• Take the time to really think about what you are and are not comfortable with while you’re in the field. If you don’t know what your boundaries are, you are more likely—warned long time harm reduction folks—to be defensive or reactive in ways that are really unproductive. It’s important to think ahead of time about what kind of behavior you’re personally comfortable with or not so that you can react calmly should that behavior arise. This is especially important with regard to sexual harassment if you are a woman or femme presenting. People deal with it in a variety of different ways, so think about how you will deal with it before it happens.
• Never carry large amounts of cash or valuables like jewelry or expensive electronics during mobile service delivery.
• Do not accept gifts from participants. If folks are extremely insistent and it might cause social estrangement not to accept the gift, accept it on behalf of other participants or the agency, not yourself.
• Try to keep at least “kicking distance”—the length of your leg—between yourself and the participants you’re talking to. This isn’t because you should suspect they will kick you, but rather because you want to give them enough space for them to feel safe which, for many people, is at least far enough away that you cannot grab them.
• Feel free to kindly inform participants of boundaries and be sure to explain if it’s an agency policy, a legal requirement, or a personal boundary..
• It’s always important to assume positive intent. This does not mean to take everyone at face value at all times, but even if you suspect what you are encountering is actually hostility, this tactic disarms and de-escalates folks.

This refers to the groundwork that must be laid before services take place, and should be updated regularly/at least once a year regarding what supplies are needed.

Some pre-shift Hacks include:

• Map your community in order to determine where to put services or expand existing services. This means identifying resources in the community, such as service sites, stores, and/or locations where folks might be copping or using. Some of this can be done using maps, but a lot of it must be done by driving or walking the areas that you might serve.
• When in doubt, consult your participants.
• Pack supplies during kit-making parties involving volunteers! Even if you can’t pay people, at least have snacks and make it a good time for everyone.
• Make sure the bags and/or vehicles are packed leaving enough time for transiting to your locations.
• If you don’t have a janitorial service, use a chore wheel or chart to share responsibility for cleaning and organizing outreach bags.
• Rotate who sets up so that everyone can do it.
• Use checklists to maintain consistency.
• Make sure to conduct an annual survey of your participants for needs assessment. This can help you understand what folks need and where you can improve your services.
• Make connections with your service provider allies in the community to help. Get the word out about new supplies or services available through your organization.
• Utilize word-of-mouth and social media to get the word out about your services.
• You might also think about going old-school and putting flyers in places where you think that folks who use drugs might congregate, such as food distribution sites, shelters, and bars.