Exploring the Impact of Housing-based Overdose Prevention Interventions on People who use Drugs in Vancouver

Canada is amid an opioid epidemic, with regional and federal governments declaring opioid use, overdose, and related harms a public health emergency. Drug-related overdose mortality in British Columbia reached a record high in 2016, with over 900 deaths. In response, novel overdose prevention interventions (OPI) are now being implemented, including: overdose prevention sites in which people can inject drugs under supervision; and, naloxone training and distribution (a medication that blocks the effects of opioids during an overdose). For the first time, these interventions are being implemented in emergency shelters and single room accommodations (SRA) housing, which provides shelter to more than 3000 people who use drugs (PWUD) in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This study will explore social-, structural-, and physical-environmental influences on the implementation and effectiveness of overdose prevention interventions in SRA housing and emergency shelters. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Kerr

Student:

Partner:

Pivot Legal Society

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: