NEWSLETTER - Canadian Harm Reduction Network

advanced degrees. They are also key in educating peer/employees at the onset of their work. Asa long time drug user and Harm Reduction practitioner and philosopher in the Toronto downtowncore, I am constantly witnessing real-life scenarios that could well challenge the minds of HRphilosophers.I know a guy…lets call him Sparky. He works at a daytime drop-in shelter as a FloorSupervisor. Although he doesn’t have a degree in Social Work, he has worked at that agency forover 10 years, and is a valuable asset to both the agency, and to the community he serves. Nowone of the reasons ‘Sparky’ was initially hired at that agency was because that when he appliedfor that job years and years ago, he knew the community: I guess the social demographics, asour educated friends might call it. ‘Sparky” was familiar with not just the community, but also mostof the area’s characters; the social problems, drug trade, and all the other colloquial quirks andfoibles of that neighborhood that gave it a special personality.‘Sparky’ was born and raised and lived all of his life in Regent Park. He was borndowntown, raised around Sumach and Queen, went to school there. He also had his first drinkthere, smoked his first joint there, and lost his virginity there with a high school sweetheart. Hestill lives in that neighborhood, and is both well known and well liked in the community. RegentPark is his turf, his community.Now hypothetically my question is: when does Sparky stop being a Regent Parker, andstart being a service provider? And vice versa?Hypothetically:• If Sparky’s drinking buddy of 15 years, Bubba needs the service of the drop-in, does theirpersonal relationship suddenly need to end?• If Sparky’s long time pot dealer, Gepetto, suddenly gets busted, does 6 months at theDon Jail, subsequently losing his apartment, upon release, can he go to his friend’sdrop-in and request assistance? And will he be getting assistance from a friend, or aservice provider? And what if Gepetto asks Sparky to float him a few bucks, or if he canspend a couple of weeks on his couch until he gets a place? After all, they have beenfriends for 15 years…• If Sparky and his high school Sweety meet at their 15-year High School Reunion, and gettogether, then later, Sweety requires one of the unique services of the drop-in, can shego to that same drop-in her beau runs?I think it fair to say that most in the ‘business’ would agree all of these situations are feasible. (Infact, ‘Sparky’ is simply a composite of several people I know working in similar environments, whoindividually have faced the scenarios outlined above.) I think that most would also agree they seevery few problems in any of those scenario’s, given the facts and circumstances leading up toeach situation.That said, we have fodder for more debate.What if these details were added:• What if Sparky’s friend in the second scenario, Gepetto, got busted while sellingpot to Sparky?• What if Gepetto wasn’t selling pot, but crack cocaine? Would that change youranswer? (Be honest folks)• What if Sweety had for a period of time been a prostitute, and was trying to getout of that lifestyle?On deeper levels of involvement, all of the above bring out very sensitive issues inservice provision which include boundary issues, ethics, relationships/sexual issues, and, ofcourse dealing with illicit drugs, including biases with different TYPES of illicit drugs.Does employment in a peer-type program mean one must separate oneself from thecommunity to provide service? And if so, to what degree of separation? I believe it is importantto remember that the user/peer has used this community as a personal support form him/herselffor much longer than he has used the hiring agency as a support. Also, agency supportoftentimes may end upon termination of the employment; then what of the peer/user? Can s/here-bridge that separation? Or will s/he be left without any support?Toronto Harm Reduction Task Forcewww.torontoharmreduction.org