The POUNDS team is opening a new resource centre in the city and they could use some help.
“POUNDS stands for Preventing Overdose and UNDoing Stigma, we’re a group of people who use substances or have lived experience of substance use, working to prevent overdoses in our community and undo the stigma that affects people who use substances,” Jordan Harris, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the project told MyPGNow.
“We do overdose prevention and work in terms of services that we provide out in the community and we are opening a resource centre for people who use substances to come and be safe and learn about rights, education, and healthcare.”
The group sent out this message on their Facebook page:
“Open Tuesday to Sunday, 7 AM – 12 PM (noon) and 7 PM – 12 AM (midnight), the center will be a warm, safe space for people who use substances to connect with peers, access harm reduction services, learn about human rights, find advocacy support, and enjoy some respite in a stigma-free environment. Stay tuned for our grand opening announcement this month!
In the meantime, our space is awfully empty and bare. We are seeking donations of:
– furniture (couches, chairs, small tables, etc)
– office supplies (printer/scanner/copier, computer, 3 hole punch, tripod stand for flip chart paper, printer paper, filing cabinets [locking, ideally], bookshelves, etc)
– kitchen gear (water cooler, fridge, utensils, kettle, snacks, coffee, tea, juice, cereal, etc)
– activities (coloring pages, pencil crayons, markers, crib board, cards, puzzles, etc)
We are also looking for a load of crushed limestone and a set of lockers.
We can pick up donations on Friday and Saturday, or they can be dropped off at the center (just PM us for the address!)”
Harris said their primary needs right now include a vacuum cleaner, an easel for flip chart paper, and a filing cabinet that locks, “some of our big ultimate dreams would be a set of lockers and a couch, ideally.”
On the centre itself, Harris said the group is working to create a space that makes everyone in the community feel safe.
“We recognize some of the issues and some of the negative narratives that are happening around our downtown area right now. We’re here to be good neighbours, we’re here to keep everyone safe. We’re open to conversations with people in the community and at the end of the day we want everyone to feel safe.”