AT-A-GLANCE
• People who use drugs
• Indigenous people
• People who are homeless or precariously housed
ABOUT THE GRANTEE
The Quesnel Coalition received its first grant from OPEN in 2018. The Quesnel Coalition has remained a fairly small coalition, doing big work in Quesnel! The Coalition consists of PWLLE who have provided integral leadership to the work, representatives from the Northern Health Authority, Quesnel Shelter and Support Society and invested community members.
Major achievements of the Quesnel Coalition since 2018 include the ongoing work and achievements of the Clean Team; the growth and development of CSUN; Peer Outreach and Advocacy to provide overdose prevention and response services in Quesnel; hosting of “Building a Compassionate Approach: Substance Use, Harm Reduction and the Public Health Emergency” a two-day regional conference held in Quesnel in 2018; the hosting of annual educational and awareness events such as International Overdose Awareness Day; regular public education and anti-stigma work provided via social media and newspaper articles; and finally a video project on the peer based work in Quesnel that was supported through the OPEN grants over the years. The Quesnel Coalition has been integral in the advancement of inclusion of PWLLE at local tables informing health and overdose prevention and response services in the community of Quesnel.”
The Coalition consists of PWLLE who have provided integral leadership to the work, representatives from the Northern Health Authority, Quesnel Shelter and Support Society and invested community members. PWLLE have been engaged and provided leadership to this work since its inception in 2018; service providers and other supportive community members are members of the coalition to manage grants and to assist and provide support to PWLLE in the work they have envisioned and see as priority.”
Overview of Overdose Response Work
• Supporting the Coalition of Substance Users of the North (CSUN) to build and expand on their services to support people who use drugs in the Northern Region
• Supporting PWLLE in various employment opportunities, such as the Clean Team; building capacity and providing opportunities to be leaders in overdose prevention work in Quesnel
Lessons Learned
Contact
Related Communities
Dawson Creek Community Action Team
Strong and growing sub-group of peer educators and facilitators
Abbotsford Community Action Team
Collaboration with local police and the implementation of Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT ) in jail cells.