Harm reduction is one of the most important — and sometimes most misunderstood — concepts in substance use work. At its core, it is a simple idea: if someone is using substances and is not yet ready to stop, the goal is to help them stay as safe as possible while they continue to use, rather than requiring abstinence as the price of support.
In practice, harm reduction encompasses a wide range of approaches: needle and syringe programmes, naloxone distribution, drug checking services, supervised consumption facilities, and the principles that underpin how workers talk about substance use with the people they support.
This module introduces harm reduction — its philosophy, its evidence base, and what it looks like in practice in homelessness services. It is a Foundation-level module within Subject 6: Substance Use and Recovery.