08/26/2026
💜 Let's talk about harm reduction.
You have heard us use this term before. We partner with Franklin Street Harm Reduction Center, we will be at their Overdose Awareness Day Block Party on Wednesday, September 2, we talk about harm reduction as part of our approach to the work we do. But what does it actually MEAN?
Harm reduction is a philosophy before it is a service.
And here is something that might surprise you: you already practice harm reduction every single day. You probably just don't call it that.
Do you wear a seatbelt? That's harm reduction. Society did not decide that because car accidents happen, we should stop driving. We decided that since people are going to drive (and some of those drives are going to go wrong) we should make driving as safe as possible. Seatbelts do not prevent accidents. They reduce the harm when accidents happen.
Do you wear a bike helmet? Harm reduction. You are not planning to crash. But if you do, the helmet is there.
Do you put on sunscreen? Harm reduction. You are not planning to get skin cancer. But you reduce the risk.
Does your kid's playground have rubber matting under the equipment? Harm reduction. The city did not eliminate the possibility of falling. They reduced the consequences of it.
We practice harm reduction constantly - in our homes, in our communities, in our public policy - without ever using the term. We accept that people are going to do things that carry risk, and we build systems to reduce the harm those risks cause. Nobody calls this enabling. Nobody says the seatbelt is sending the wrong message about driving.
And yet... when harm reduction is applied to substance use, suddenly it becomes controversial.
So what does harm reduction mean in that context?
At its core, harm reduction is built on a radical and simple idea: meet people where they are at, not where you wish they were. Reduce the negative consequences of behaviors without requiring people to stop those behaviors first. Prioritize keeping people alive and healthy today, because a person who is alive and healthier today has the possibility of a different tomorrow. A person who is dead does not.
Harm reduction looks like naloxone boxes in The Jungle - because the alternative to someone using drugs with naloxone nearby is someone using drugs without naloxone nearby. Not someone not using drugs.
Harm reduction looks like clean needle programs - because the alternative to someone using drugs with a clean needle is someone using drugs with a dirty needle. Not someone not using drugs.
Harm reduction looks like fentanyl test strips - because the alternative to someone knowing what is in their drugs is someone not knowing what is in their drugs. Not someone not using drugs.
Harm reduction looks like a free vending machine at Franklin Street stocked with supplies, because access to basic health tools should not require jumping through hoops, proving worthiness, or committing to sobriety first.
This is where harm reduction makes some people uncomfortable.
It asks us to accept that some people are going to use substances and that our response to that reality should be to keep them as safe as possible rather than to withdraw care until they make different choices.
It asks us to separate a person's worth and dignity from their behavior. To say: you deserve to be safe and healthy regardless of what you are doing.
For some people this feels like enabling. We understand that reaction. But consider the alternative - withholding care, withdrawing services, making people prove they deserve help before we offer it. What does that accomplish? It does not make people stop using substances. It makes people less safe while they do. This is how people end up dead. And a dead person can't change their behavior or get better.
Harm reduction is not about giving up on people. It is about refusing to give up on people even when they have not yet given up their substances.
What does this have to do with Oly Camp Kitties?
A whole lot!
Harm reduction is woven into how we work. We do not ask our clients to be sober before we help their cats. We do not require them to be in housing, or in treatment, or to have made different choices. We show up. We provide services. We treat people with dignity. We keep cats healthy and alive, which in turn keeps people more connected, more stable, and more tethered to the world.
That IS harm reduction. Keeping the cat healthy keeps the person healthier.
We believe in this philosophy. Not because it is easy or comfortable or universally popular, but because the evidence shows it works. And because the people we serve deserve nothing less than our unconditional care.
No judgment. No conditions. Just showing up. 🐾
💬 Comments are moderated - please engage with kindness.
