FUR-EVER LEARNING
Harm reduction is constantly evolving alongside the people, communities, and realities that shape it. New research emerges, language changes, policies shift, and people with lived and living experience continue to challenge what we think we know.
We believe some of the most valuable learning happens outside of classrooms, conferences, and professional settings. It happens on street corners, in encampments, around kitchen tables, through community organizing, and in conversations with people who have survived systems that were never designed for them.
This page is a collection of resources that have influenced our thinking, challenged our assumptions, strengthened our practice, and helped us build more compassionate, effective, and community-centered responses to the housing and toxic drug supply crises unfolding around us. We hope these resources support your learning, spark curiosity, and encourage you to think critically about the systems, policies, and narratives that shape our communities.
This page will continue to grow as we learn, unlearn, and discover new resources. If there's something that has shaped your practice or perspective, we'd love to hear about it.
Another world is possible,
but we have to learn from each other
to build it.
Harm Reduction Fundamentals
1
A free online learning platform offering courses on harm reduction principles, overdose prevention, stigma reduction, safer substance use practices, and community-based care. Suitable for both frontline workers and community members who want a strong foundation in harm reduction.
2
Free online education focused on improving care for people who use drugs. Topics include substance use, stigma, trauma-informed practice, safer prescribing, overdose prevention, and strategies for creating more equitable healthcare systems.
3
A series of self-directed courses covering the core principles of harm reduction, person-centred care, substance use, stigma, and practical strategies for supporting people who use drugs. Designed for service providers, healthcare workers, and community organizations.
Overdose prevention
1
A free online training that teaches participants how to recognize and respond to opioid poisonings, administer naloxone, and provide basic overdose response care. Suitable for both community members and frontline workers.
2
Provides education on overdose prevention, recognizing and responding to opioid poisonings, naloxone administration, and practical harm reduction strategies for individuals, families, and frontline workers.
3
A free training that teaches participants how to recognize and respond to opioid poisonings, including overdose recognition, naloxone administration, emergency response, and basic lifesaving interventions.
Safer Substance Use & sex Education
1
Provides practical information on reducing the risks associated with substance use, including safer injection, smoking, inhalation, and hepatitis C prevention strategies. Designed for people who use drugs, service providers, and educators.
2
A step-by-step instructional video demonstrating how to properly use fentanyl test strips to check substances for the presence of fentanyl and other contaminants. Includes guidance on interpreting results and reducing overdose risk.
3
Offers practical information on consent, sexually transmitted infection prevention, barrier methods, and strategies for maintaining sexual health and wellbeing.
4
A practical guide to preparing injection equipment, maintaining sterile technique, and reducing the risks of infection, vein damage, and overdose.
5
A step-by-step demonstration covering safer injection practices, vein care, sterile preparation, and strategies to reduce the risk of infections and other complications.
6
Explores ways to prepare for injection in advance, including overdose prevention planning, safer environments, supply preparation, and reducing risks when using alone.
7
Provides information on safer smoking supplies, pipe maintenance, and strategies to reduce burns, cuts, disease transmission, and other smoking-related harms.
8
Provides practical tips for reducing the risks associated with smoking substances, including safer equipment use, injury prevention, and infection reduction.
9
A visual guide demonstrating how to construct and use a foil pipe in a way that reduces burns, injuries, and the sharing of equipment.
Peer Support & Lived Experience Leadership
1
A comprehensive training curriculum designed by and for peer workers. Topics include harm reduction, boundaries, communication, self-care, advocacy, and supporting people who use substances.
2
A video-based learning series following street nurses working in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The playlists explore trauma-informed care, harm reduction, outreach nursing, stigma reduction, and relationship-based practice.
3
A collection of educational resources developed to support peer workers and people with lived and living experience in leadership, advocacy, harm reduction, and community-based care.
Trauma-Informed Practice & Crisis Response
1
Introduces practical de-escalation skills for responding to mental health crises, substance use-related concerns, and community conflict. Based on lessons learned from the CAHOOTS crisis response model.
2
A series of educational modules that provide an introduction to trauma, adverse childhood experiences, resilience, and trauma-informed approaches to care and service delivery.
3
A practical guide to addressing interpersonal violence, abuse, and harm without relying on policing or carceral systems. Offers tools for community accountability, safety planning, and collective responses to violence.
4
Explores how harm reduction can be applied within helping professions while emphasizing compassion, dignity, client autonomy, and trauma-informed care. Particularly useful for social workers, counsellors, outreach workers, and healthcare providers.
Housing & community care
1
A toolkit developed by the National Harm Reduction Coalition that helps communities respond to stigma, misinformation, and opposition to harm reduction services while building local support and engagement.
2
A collection of free courses, webinars, and educational resources focused on homelessness, housing-first approaches, youth homelessness, system navigation, and evidence-based practices for service providers.
3
A collection of practical tools, guides, webinars, and research focused on Housing First, homelessness prevention, landlord engagement, lived experience leadership, and evidence-based housing supports for frontline workers and service providers.
Theory, Research & Critical Perspectives
1
Explores how colonialism shapes substance use, health, and community wellbeing for Indigenous peoples, while highlighting Indigenous-led approaches to harm reduction, healing, and self-determination.
2
Examines the politics of sobriety, drug use, and social movements, while challenging assumptions about abstinence as a prerequisite for social change.
3
Examines how risk-taking is often a necessary survival strategy for marginalized communities and argues for harm reduction approaches grounded in dignity, autonomy, and lived experience.
4
Explores how abstinence-focused approaches can perpetuate stigma, coercion, and harm, while advocating for compassionate, evidence-based responses to substance use
5
Introduces a framework that combines harm reduction, healing justice, anti-oppression, and community care to support individuals and communities experiencing trauma, substance use, and violence.
6
An academic review examining the definition, principles, applications, and evolution of harm reduction as a public health and social justice framework. Useful for readers seeking a deeper theoretical understanding of harm reduction practice.
7
A qualitative research study exploring the emotional impacts of responding to overdose and overdose-related deaths among harm reduction workers. The article highlights experiences of grief, burnout, cumulative loss, and moral distress while emphasizing the importance of peer support, organizational care, and sustainable workplace practices for frontline workers.
8
Examines the development and application of the Global Drug Policy Index, a tool designed to evaluate how well national drug policies align with health, human rights, and harm reduction principles. The article explores how drug policies can be measured and compared internationally, highlighting the impacts of criminalization, public health approaches, and evidence-based policy on people who use drugs.
9
A research study examining the challenges faced by harm reduction workers responding to the overdose crisis. The article explores burnout, emotional fatigue, workplace stress, and the broader structural factors that impact worker wellbeing and sustainability.