Support Services & Harm Reduction Programming

Grounded in cultural safety and deep regional expertise, our team supports individuals, families, and frontline professionals across Northern BC. We work hand in hand with urban, rural, and remote Indigenous and marginalized communities to initiate and implement strategies to stem the spread of these viruses while honouring the dignity of every person we serve.

Holistic Support Services

The Support Services Department is dedicated to providing caring, culturally appropriate, non-judgmental advocacy and care. For those newly diagnosed or long-term survivors living with HIV, HCV, or an STBBI, we offer a safe, strictly confidential environment to help you understand your diagnosis, access accurate health information, and find community.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes a Support Services Manager, Peer Workers, and a Prevention/Support Worker who collaborate to provide:
• Case Management & Crisis Intervention: Navigating complex health, housing, transportation, nutrition, and social systems with an advocate by your side when things feel overwhelming.
• One-on-One & Group Support: Spaces to share, process, and heal – whether you need individual counselling or the comfort of a peer circle.
• Social & Basic Needs Support: Practical resources to ensure you can focus on your wellness. This includes:
o Weekly Food Hub Hampers
o Boost Nutritional Supplements & Fresh Fruit/Granola Bars
o Daily Breakfast Program
o Essential hygiene supplies and transit bus tickets
• System Referrals & Accompaniment: Connecting you directly with medical care, doctor or hospital visits, substance use treatment and recovery centers, housing supports, and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Harm Reduction & Street Outreach

Our Harm Reduction services integrate compassionate, evidence-based approaches, including safer use and reducing HIV/HCV and STBBI infections – by meeting people exactly where they are. We look at the conditions of substance use and mental health alongside the use itself, focusing on safety, dignity, and survival.
Our outreach team hits the streets daily to provide frontline care, supply distribution, and community education in response to the toxic drug crisis and HIV/HCV/STBBI transmission.

Key Objectives & Services:
• Daily Outreach & Supply Distribution: Distribution of safer drug use supplies and harm reduction supplies, including condoms, lubricants and menstrual hygiene products.
• Naloxone Training & Response: Providing life-saving Naloxone (Narcan) training to individuals and groups, distributing kits, and administering Naloxone during emergencies.
• Community Safety & Wellness: Actively reducing public discarded equipment, educating about safer consumption practices, and mitigating the risk of infectious disease transmission.
• Low-Barrier Pathways: Increasing direct referrals to detox, stabilization, and culturally grounded treatment programs.

Community Connections & Circles: Positive Talk

A sacred, safe space to navigate complex health needs, wellness, and connection.

Built on the foundational structure of a traditional sharing circle, this group operates on the strict principle of mutual respect: what is said in the circle stays in the circle. Members are invited to speak openly without fear of judgment, participate in a smudge, and discuss upcoming community events.

This circle specifically focuses on providing peer-driven education and professional guidance for navigating the complicated, overlapping health needs related to HIV, HCV (Hepatitis C), and mental health. It is a low-barrier space designed to empower you with the tools, advocacy, and clinical understanding needed to manage your holistic well-being.

Gathering Time: Once a month (preferably Wednesday) at 12:00 PM (Lunch is provided).

Facilitators: Guided by our Support Worker and a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist from Northern Health.

Please contact the Support Services Department for information on members-only support services and harm reduction programming.

  • Support Services Manager: Ujunma Egbuawa
  • Support Worker (Prince George): Amber Gamble
  • Support Worker (Bulkley Valley): Dimple Kumari
  • Harm Reduction Coordinator (Prince George):