Resources
Harm Reduction Resources
Community-Based Harm Reduction Services
Many community pharmacies provide free naloxone kits and training for anyone with a valid Ontario health card. Clients may request injectable or intranasal naloxone—both are now covered by the Ontario government.
Agincourt Community Services Association
4155 Sheppard Ave. E., suite 100, Toronto, ON
www.agincourtcommunityservices.com
416 321-6912
Services offered: Harm reduction supplies and service (mobile and fixed site) providing clean needles, crack pipes and condoms; addiction and housing workers; medical clinic; street outreach (seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); outreach to clients involved in sex work in massage parlours and micro-brothels in Scarborough; distribution of safer sex tools; can accompany sex trade workers to sexual health clinics for HIV and STI testing
Languages: English, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Macedonian
All Saints Church-Community Centre
315 Dundas St. E., Toronto, ON
416 368-7768
Services offered: Harm reduction supplies, needle exchange, sex worker drop-in and services
Eligibility: People who are homeless or street-involved
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Tamil
Breakaway Addiction Services
21 Strickland Ave., Toronto, ON
416 234-1942 ext. 255 (harm reduction outreach)
Services offered: Street outreach, counselling, needle exchange, harm reduction supplies, free condoms
Eligibility: People 12 years and older who use substances and are street involved or in conflict with the law
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Concurrent Outpatient Medical and Psychosocial Addiction Support Service (COMPASS)
1001 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON
416 535-8501, option 2 (Access CAMH); ask for information about the COMPASS resource room
Services offered: Holistic addiction medicine, interprofessional supports to clients, a resource room that offers harm reduction supplies (e.g. condoms, clean syringes, filters, cookers, pipes, sterile water) to any member of the public
Eligibility: Don’t need to be a registered client to receive harm reduction supplies
Eva’s Satellite
25 Canterbury Pl., Toronto, ON
www.evas.ca/where-we-are/evas-satellite
416 234-1942 (main number), 647 838-1189 (community outreach worker)
Services offered: Counselling, life skills training and healthy recreation programs
Eligibility: Homeless youth
519 Community Centre
519 Church St., Toronto, ON
416 392-6878 ext. 4000
Services offered: Time-limited counselling, meals, support groups, resource centre
Eligibility: Open to all
Syme Woolner Neighbourhood and Family Centre
2468 Eglinton Ave. W., unit 3, Toronto, ON
416 766-4634
Services offered: Information and referral, HIV/AIDS harm reduction program, outreach to people who use injection drugs, outreach to people who are homeless
Eligibility: Open to all
Languages: English, Spanish, Punjabi, Portuguese, Somali, Vietnamese
2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations
145 Front St. E., suite 105, Toronto, ON
416 944-9300
Services offered: HIV/AIDS education and prevention including distribution of condoms, lubricant and needle exchange; same sex domestic violence information and referrals; Aboriginal resources
Eligibility: LGBT+ people of Aboriginal ancestry, including those living with HIV/AIDS
Languages: English, Ojibway
Health Centre, Hospital-Based and Public Health Harm Reduction Services
Black Creek Community Health Centre
Yorkgate Mall, 1 York Gate Blvd., unit 202, Toronto, ON
416 246-2388 ext. 3237, 416 993-8810 (Bridges to Moms)
Services offered: Counselling and case management, mobile and outreach services, assessment, information and referral, parenting programs, sexual health clinics at Sheraton Mall and Yorkgate Mall
Eligibility: Pregnant women and mothers with substance use issues
LAMP Community Health Centre
185 5th St., ground floor, Toronto, ON
416 252-9701 ext. 287 (harm reduction services co-ordinator)
Services offered: Drop-in centre (Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., September to June) for meals, showers, hygiene products, harm reduction supplies, pet food, computer and phone access; harm reduction clinic drop-in (second Thursday of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.) for harm reduction supplies and information and free anonymous HIV testing
Eligibility: Must live in south/central Etobicoke for most services
Languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Farsi
Parkdale Community Health Centre
1229 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON
416 537-2455 ext. 1312 and 1313
Services offered: Harm reduction drop-in for people with substance use problems and sex workers: distributes clean supplies and provides health promotion, referrals, food and community outreach; a harm reduction kit making group Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. (registration required, TTC tokens and a light meal provided); anonymous HIV testing; case management; ID clinic (to help apply for ID) offered monthly
Eligibility: Priority to people who encounter barriers to high-quality health care services including newcomers, racialized communities, people who are homeless or living near the street, people with mental health challenges and addictions, people living with visible and invisible disabilities, isolated older adults, LGBTQ communities, people living in poverty
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Tamil
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre
168 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
416 703-8482
Services offered: Harm reduction services, including anonymous HIV testing by appointment, education workshops, needle exchange, Hepatitis C program, one-to-one counselling, referrals and advocacy (Monday Friday 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.), street outreach
Eligibility: For most services (except harm reduction or dental), people must live in catchment area (bordered by Bloor Street and Yonge Street, and Lakeshore and Parkside Drive); catchment criteria does not apply to people who are homeless or Indigenous peoples
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne St., Toronto, ON
416 324-4100
Services offered: Primary health care services through a family health team; mental health counselling for people who have experienced trauma; a walk-in therapy clinic; HIV services that include primary care, drop-in clinic for registered clients; naturopathic clinic for people with HIV/AIDS; WINK (Women In Need Klinik): drop-in clinic and support for homeless and street-involved women; LGBTQ Parenting Network; health promotion and resource database for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons through the Rainbow Health Network
Eligibility: Focus on people who are underhoused, homeless or have a low income; people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBTQ); newcomers to Canada
South Riverdale Community Health Centre
955 Queen St. E., Toronto, ON
416 461-1925 (main office): 416 461-1925 ext. 347 (daytime), 416 451-1951 (evening) Services offered: Outreach walk-in clinic for people who are homeless or have addiction or mental health issues on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.; COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program: harm reduction information and materials distribution, needle exchange, counselling, case co-ordination, support for women working in the sex trade and using illicit drugs
Eligibility: Catchment area varies by program; priority given to new immigrants, the Chinese community, young children and their families, women, older adults, people without health insurance, people who are homeless and people with substance use or mental health issues
Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
St. Michael’s Hospital Emergency
1 Shuter St., Toronto ON
Services offered: Harm reduction kits available through the hospital emergency department
Toronto Public Health – The Works Program
277 Victoria St., Toronto ON
416 392-0520
Services offered: Harm reduction supplies and counselling, opioid substitution program that includes methadone and suboxone, POINT program that provides training on how to administer naloxone and includes a take-home naloxone kit, HIV testing and vaccination, The Works Van that provides mobile outreach Monday to Saturday from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.
AIDS Organizations Providing Harm Reduction Services
Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS)
260 Spadina Ave., suite 410, Toronto, ON
416 963-4300
Services offered: Support programs include buddy and practical assistance; treatment information; individual counselling; referrals; case management; peer support group; outreach to youth, gay men and women at risk; outreach, workshops and recreation to queer Asian youth; culturally specific materials
Eligibility: East and Southeast Asian communities, including people who identify as LGBTQ; people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Malay, Vietnamese, Tagalog
Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention
20 Victoria St., 4th floor, Toronto, ON
416 977-9955
Services offered: Inhalation and injection kit exchange, street outreach, drop-in for people with substance use problems and people who are under-housed, school and community-based workshops on harm reduction and substance use
Eligibility: Black, African and Caribbean communities in the GTA
Languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, West Indian dialects, Amharic, Kikuyu, Swahili, Tigrinya
Toronto People with AIDS Foundation
200 Gerrard St. E., 2nd floor, Toronto, ON
416 506-1400
Services offered: Treatment and therapeutic programs (harm reduction information and supplies), support programs, food programs
Eligibility: Adults living with HIV/AIDS
Women-Only Harm Reduction Services
LOFT Community Services — 416 Community Support for Women
416 Dundas St. E., Toronto, ON
www.loftcs.org/programs/supports-for-adults
416 928-3334
Services offered: Health and wellness program with case management, medical clinic Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m., drop-in program (with breakfast and lunch), food bank
Eligibility: Women of all ages with addiction and/or mental health issues, but primarily women 16 years and older; except for the drop-in, clients must go through an intake process for each program
Referral: Women can be referred through Access Point by downloading a form on the LOFT website or by self referral (calling in)
Fred Victor, Women’s Drop-In
67 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, ON
www.fredvictor.org/womens_24/7_drop-in_program
416 392-9292
Services offered: 24/7 drop-in centre that includes daily necessities such as food, rest, clothing and toiletries; referrals to doctors, dentists and legal aid; recreational programming
Eligibility: Women of all ages
Sistering
962 Bloor St. W., Toronto ON
416 926-9762, 926-1956 (drop-in)
Services offered: Peer harm reduction workers make and distribute harm reduction kits and educational materials, provide referrals to other health agencies and counselling services and help deliver programs through their 24/7 drop-in and outreach programs
Eligibility: Women in Toronto who have experienced the effects of poverty, marginalization and substance use and/or mental health problems; sex workers; immigrant and refugee women; women who have experienced violence and trauma
Ve’ahavta
200 Bridgeland Ave., unit D, Toronto, ON
416 964-7698
Services offered: Van delivers food, clothing, harm reduction and hygiene supplies and provides supportive case management for people who are homeless (Monday to Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m.)
Eligibility: People of all faiths who are marginalized by poverty
Supervised Injection Sites
Supervised injection sites are health services where people can inject pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of a nurse or other health worker. They also distribute sterile injection supplies; provide education on safer injection, overdose prevention and overdose intervention; offer medical and counselling services; and provide referrals to drug treatment, housing, income support and other services.
The Works — Toronto Public Health
277 Victoria St., Toronto, ON
416 338-7600
Services offered: The Works supports almost 50 programs in Toronto by providing harm reduction supplies and services (see the link above for a list of agencies that can be contacted directly about hours, locations, services and supplies).