Our Services - LIFT - Community Services

Community Development Services

Community Development programming falls under three streams:

Health Emergency Collective Impact
A Public Health Emergency was declared by the province in 2016, in response to the growing number of overdoses in the province. This is an ongoing public health crisis that has led to over 10,000 deaths and counting.

We coordinate with local community partners to offer harm reduction programs in the qathet Region, while we continue to advocate for safe supply and de-stigmatization of people who use substances. Our current action on the toxic drug supply includes:

Community Collective Impact
We do advocacy and education work in the community, including:

Community education series
qathet Region Ending Poverty Strategy

Umbrella Services
We offer organizational sponsorship to emerging non-profits as they work toward becoming independent non-profit societies.

We’re currently working with Trans qathet and SUSTAIN (Substance Users Society Teaching Advocacy Instead of Neglect).

Previously we supported qathet Community Justice, who are now incorporated as a registered B.C. non-profit society.

Programming

Community Action Team
An interdisciplinary team to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Delegates from Vancouver Coastal Health, the City of Powell River, Tla’amin Nation, School District 47, municipal emergency services, people with lived experience, and many more meet monthly to identify concrete ways to prevent overdose and substance-related deaths in our community. For more information on the Community Action Team, visit prcat.ca

Youth Community Action Team
Our Youth volunteer committee, focused on engaging youth in community issues like harm reduction and political engagement. For more information on the qathet Youth Community Action Team.

Overdose Prevention Site
A Community Action Team initiative. Daily program supporting people to use substances safely. This program provides harm reduction supplies, overdose response, as well as meals and cooling/warming stations. We also provide harm reduction education including Naloxone Training to individuals and groups in the community. For more information visit prcat.ca.

SUSTAIN
Substance Users Society Teaching Advocacy Instead of Neglect. Peer support for people who use drugs, including education, connection, and harm reduction. This program is housed out of our Community Resource Centre. For more information on SUSTAIN visit www.sustainpowellriver.ca.

Ending Poverty Strategy
We are founding members of the qathet Region Poverty Reduction Committee, which aims to reduce levels of poverty in the qathet Regional District.

Community Education Series
We offer workshops and education series on community issues like substance use, harm reduction, and poverty reduction.

Trans qathet
Trans qathet provides peer to peer support in the qathet Regional District for gender diverse and trans people, and their allies. They host events, meet-ups and support groups, and offer one-on-one support. Learn more at www.transqathet.ca.

FAQs

What is the overdose crisis?

The overdose crisis, now referred to the toxic or poisoned drug supply crisis, refers to the very high number of deaths caused by unintentional overdose due to contaminated drugs.

On April 14, 2016 a public health emergency was declared in the province of British Columbia in response to a 30% increase in overdose deaths the year before.

While additional funding has be provided for harm reduction resources and substance use treatment options, death rates attributed to the toxic drug supply remain high; an estimated 2,300 people died in BC in 2022 alone.

What is harm reduction?

While often used in the context of substance use, harm reduction examples do not only include drug users – some examples of harm reduction in common activities are seat belts and bike helmets!

When we discuss harm reduction in relation to substance use, we are not ‘enabling’ people to use drugs, we are accepting that alcohol and drug use are inherently human, and seek to minimize the harm that people experience due to marginalization and criminalization, through caring, connection and fostering autonomy.

In terms of offering support, that can look like providing clean substance use equipment like needles and pipes; having a safe place to dispose of used equipment, a safe space to use substances with supervision; administering naloxone when required; being present for people and listening to them; and referring people to community supports.

Do you run the Overdose Prevention Site?

The Overdose Prevention Site is a Community Action Team initiative, and is operated with funds received from Vancouver Coastal Health.

As the administrative lead for the Community Action Team, Lift staffs and manages the Overdose Prevention Site on behalf of the Community Action Team.

For more information about the Overdose Prevention Site, please visit prcat.ca.

How do I get naloxone? Do you do training on how to use it?

If you would like to get naloxone for yourself or business, or would like training on how to safely administer naloxone to reverse an accidental overdose, please contact our Community Development Services manager at communitydevelopment@liftcommunityservices.org, or 604-208-2342.