We support and empower people navigating sex, substance use, and HIV prevention.

 

  • Anyone who wants to refer someone else to the HPCM team can fill out this form.

Getting accurate, stigma-free information about HIV, sex, and substance use can be hard. Most of us do not have a lot of places where we can learn about HIV, and figure out what harm reduction, undectectable viral loads, condoms, and PrEP may mean for us, or to reflect on the sex and substance use we want. The HPCM team is here to change that.

What does the HPCM team do?

The HPCM team works one on one with HIV-negative people who want support to navigate sex and substance use with HIV prevention in mind. We address HIV risk in the context of intergenerational, structural, interpersonal, and individual factors, while honouring each person's journey navigating sex and substance use. We offer support by connecting people to prescribed alternatives (safe supply), primary health care, condoms, and PrEP, strengthening relationship and life skills, and developing an understanding of the ways sex and substance use fits into our lives. HPCMs use tools from social work to provide support, although not all HPCMs are social workers.

In most cases, we work with people age 19 through to people in their 60s and 70s. We may occasionally have capacity to work with people as young as 15 who fit our other criteria. In general, we work one-on-one with individuals for less than a year. 

Who does the HPCM team work with?

Our program works with people who are:

  • Sexually active in networks with higher rates of HIV, including gay and queer men, transgender women, and newcomer communities from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America 
  • A sex worker or sex work client of any gender or identity
  • Sharing injection drug equipment  
  • Experiencing HIV risk due to social and health inequities including intergenerational trauma and displacement 
  • Having sex or sharing injection drug works with one or more person living with HIV 

Anyone can reach out to the HPCM team, and we will follow up with you to learn about what you are looking for and how we might be able to help. Our team includes an Indigenous case manager and case managers with a range of experience working with gay and queer communities of all ages, trans women, in the Downtown Eastside, and supporting sex workers.