London Joint Working Group launches peer-based Hackney Harm Reduction Hub

March 26, 2024

The hub saw its first day operating on Thursday March 21st, and aims to be a safe and welcoming space where people can access all the safe injecting and harm reduction equipment they need, be linked to other services where appropriate, and receive support shaped by people who understand their circumstances.

The service is currently available from Hackney Council’s Community Wellbeing trailer outside Ridley Villas in Ridley Road market, Dalston (47A Ridley Road, E8 2NP), on Thursdays from 2pm-8pm, but we are continuing to explore expansion to alternative sites. If you need support or know someone who does, come and visit us.

The service hopes to reduce drug-related deaths, infection rates of hepatitis C and other harms associated with injecting drug use, and is building links with other organisations in the borough that work with people from marginalised backgrounds.

We have sought to involve peers with living or lived experience at every stage of the development and delivery of the service, and the management of the service includes a Peer Strategy Group to ensure this.

Our 2022 scoping report laid out the case for this type of service, highlighting problems with harm reduction provision and the principles for a new approach, and in March 2023 the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) featured the work towards the service in their ‘Shooting Up’ report on injection drug harms. Today, LJWG policy lead Dee Cunniffe spoke about the new hub in a session on holistic approaches to substance use and harm reduction at Homeless Link’s 2024 Rough Sleeping conference.

If you would like to know more, contact us at dee.cunniffe@ljwg.org.uk.