When Seattle social services fall short, libraries and transit lend a hand

To address overdose deaths, multiple organizations across Athens County and Ohio University have implemented free Narcan distribution and training programs since 2023, including overdose response training sessions and no-barrier access to free Narcan kits through campus cabinets, health departments, and community organizations partnered with Ohio's Project DAWN network. The programs have helped distribute hundreds of Narcan boxes and to normalize overdose response training and reduce stigma around addiction.

While the decriminalization effort Measure 110 failed to fully meet the mark, the Health Justice Recovery Alliance joined forces with local law enforcement to create a pilot program that helped locals struggling with addiction. Through the program, police can contact an outreach worker who will come to the scene and connect the person struggling with addiction to support services such as detox care and housing, helping lead them toward long-term recovery. So far, the pilot program has helped over 200 people.

When plans for a new private hotel fell through, community organizations and developers like Pine Street Inn took over the 140 Clarendon building to provide permanent, supportive housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness. Pine Street Inn now owns and operates more than 440 permanent supportive housing locations, providing a home for about 900 people in the Greater Boston area.

Groups like Women in New Nigeria and Youth Empowerment Initiative (WINN), in collaboration with local leaders, are addressing stigma and providing support services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violencev(SGBV). These groups educate survivors on the violence they endured, provides them with a safe space to rest and engages them in the community to fight feelings of isolation SGBV survivors often face.

In an effort to combat overdoses in the LGBTQ+ community, some local spaces — like gay bars — are carrying Narcan. While not every gay bar in the area is on board with carrying Narcan, there are several individuals and local organizations working to push these venues to make a change and helping to ensure people who need it can access the potentially life-saving drug if they need it.

In response to managing the homeless crisis, several Safe Rest Villages have emerged throughout the city. These are small, individual units on city-owned land, separate from nearby neighborhoods. There are currently seven active Safe Rest Villages in the city and they have created 350 transitional housing opportunities for the local homeless population.

Amidst the ever-present opioid crisis, there has been a shift among judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies beginning to let go of the stigma associated with medication for opioid use disorder. As of 2022, more than 90% of drug courts in communities with high opioid mortality rates have reported that they allow medications to be used to treat addiction. Some areas have also seen the emergence of drug recovery courts that specialize in helping people facing addiction get treatment, rather than jail time.

Haven for Hope is a large, 22-acre, 1,600-person shelter that serves 85% of the city’s homeless population. It’s an all-inclusive space that provides a place to stay, as well as access to services like medical and dental care, counseling services, mental health care, childcare, job and housing assistance.

Students at Arlington Public Schools are being trained to carry and administer Narcan to help reduce the rising number of opioid overdose deaths, specifically among young people. Programs like this and access to treatment like Suboxone help make it easier for youth to find recovery and prevent drug overdoses.

Vending machines provided with the help of organizations like the Genesee Health System and Harm Reduction Michigan dispense fentanyl testing strips and Narcan kits as a form of harm reduction to combat the opioid epidemic and destigmatize safe drug use. When it debuted earlier this year, the machine distributed more than 2,100 test strips and 904 Narcan kits in six weeks. There are currently 52 machines placed across the state.