Deal Us In
What You Need To Know
Drug user organizations ensure appropriate representation to relevant stakeholders. Programs will be most effective if people with living experience have a real voice in their design/establishment/management.
Drug user organizations aim to improve lives by: 1) organizing, growing, and strengthening community-led grassroots groups; 2) educating, mobilizing, and advocating for policies and programs grounded in harm reduction, healing, and disability justice; and 3) providing direct services.
With a few exceptions, little or no funding has been provided to organizations of people who use drugs, and there has not been a concerted effort to encourage their creation and provide the support needed for longer-term sustainability.
“Most of the responses to drug related overdose, drug related crime, family breakdown, drug treatment, unemployment, etc, have been developed in isolation to people who use illicit drugs. We have been largely left out of responses to these issues because of a mistaken belief that we would be at best, disinterested, and at worst, incapable of participating in a meaningful dialogue on the issues that affect us. While we cannot single-handedly address the issues associated with illicit drug use in the community, our involvement in the response is critical. We are the people who use illicit drugs, access drug treatment services and educate and support our peers - we have direct knowledge and experience to offer.” – Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League
Creating Lasting Programs
Very often, governments and other funders fail to invest in the building of lasting organizations ... This highlights the need for funders and policy makers to:
Provide core funding that enables organizations to undertake longer-term planning, develop management and governance capacity, and invest in training
Adapt funding cycles to the needs of organizations, recognizing that it takes time to develop strong and sustainable organizations of people who use drugs – funding cycles ideally should be three to five years
Demonstrate flexibility and be sensitive to the fact that the lives of people who use drugs are sometimes unpredictable (because of ill health, unexpected time in prison, etc) and that timelines may be affected as a result
Invest in longer-term skills building activities
Create supportive policy or advocate for the creation of such policy, such as statutory requirements to ensure that users are actively involved in policy, planning and decision-making in all issues concerning them.
Where to Go for More Information
Programs To Know
National Urban Survivors Union