Harm Reduction in the Time of COVID-19

As we face an unprecedented global public health crisis, it is more important than ever that we recognize the needs of our most vulnerable populations, and work to protect the health and well being of people who use drugs and sex workers. We must ensure that as the country moves forward to address this epidemic that we do not leave anyone in our harm reduction community behind. If lawmakers and public health officials are serious about saving lives, they must recognize that harm reduction principles and services are an essential part of the COVID response.

People who use drugs and sex workers are facing increased challenges in accessing health care, supports, and services to stay safe and healthy. We must ensure they have additional supports in place.

• Everyone who needs it must have access to harm reduction services and medication-assisted treatment in ways that don’t require them to put their health at risk.
• Enhanced policing and exclusion from services of vulnerable groups must end immediately and communities must be allowed to organize and distribute mutual aid among themselves.
• Services such as housing, health care, food stamps, cash assistance, and others must not be subject to drug testing or abstinence requirements.

Harm reduction programs are needed now more than ever and will be facing increased demand and reduced resources. We must take steps to support their continued and enhanced work.

• Harm reduction programs are essential, life-saving services and must be treated as such, including being allowed to operate through shelter in place and social distancing orders.
• People who provide harm reduction services are front line workers and must be treated as such, including by having access to government-supplied PPEs.
• Current restrictions must be lifted to allow programs to have the flexibility to operate in new and unforeseen ways.
• Federal and state governments must immediately increase funding that goes directly to harm reduction programs as a piece of the public health response to this crisis.

It is more important than ever to decarcerate our communities and ensure universal housing so that everyone no matter their circumstances is able to reduce their risk of contracting this disease and is not subject to increased threats to their health and safety because of their housing.

• We must release as many people as possible from incarceration and ensure no one is newly placed in systems of close confinement such as detention centers or jails.
• We must ensure that everyone has access to stable housing, using the full extent of our community resources such as empty hotels and dorms to increase the number of rooms available for shelter.
• We must end the sweeps of encampments and other forms of policing that endanger the shelter that communities have created for themselves.