04/13/2026
"Closing the Consumption and Treatment Services site did not end drug use in our community — it ended safety. It did not mark the end of drug use; it removed a health service that kept people alive."
These excerpts are from an Opinion piece that appeared in the Waterloo Region Record on April 9, 2026. You can read it in full at: tinyurl.com/4wzfnhnc.
This piece was informed by a Social Development Centre Waterloo Region project called “Holding Each Other Up: Stories and Solidarity for Harm Reduction." Co-facilitated by Leah Connor (a peer worker in our Eviction Prevention program) and Mauleek Bhatt (a member of SDC's Lived Expertise Roster), the project involved a series of community gatherings where people directly impacted by the closure of Safe Consumption Sites could share their stories, shift public perceptions, and advocate for policy changes that prioritize harm reduction.
Funding for “Holding Each Other Up: Stories and Solidarity for Harm Reduction" was provided through a People's Purse grant as part of the Region of Waterloo Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.
