The Steady Collective

Due to changing grant funder timelines we are going to have to stop operating our services from June through August. We do not want to leave those who use our services high and dry this summer, but unfortunately there is not very much emergency funding support for Harm Reduction organizations - so we are asking for community support to help us keep the lights on and the ambulance stocked!

Although we are not the only syringe service program in Buncombe County, our participants are the most likely to be unhoused, precariously housed, and underserved - making reaching other services and programs in our absence extremely difficult and unlikely. With an average of more than 300 unique encounters at our mobile outreaches each week, many Buncombe County residents rely on our services to empower them to reduce the harms of substance use criminalization and keep our community safer.

Community support is the bread and butter of the Harm Reduction movement. We couldn't do this without you.

Harm Reduction saves lives, y'all!

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About Us: Steady Collective is a Harm Reduction organization and mobile syringe exchange dedicated to promoting the well-being of people who use drugs in Asheville, North Carolina through empowerment, respectful collaboration and non-judgmental support. Our primary goal is to enhance community health by reducing rates of drug overdose, injection related injury, and infectious disease through education, advocacy, and direct services. Through our mobile syringe exchange initiative, we bring these resources directly to where they are most needed.

Steady Collective was established in November 2015 by Conner Adams as a support group providing crucial support for folks who use drugs and their family and friends. Its origin was driven by a critical need for accessible harm reduction services in Western North Carolina and early efforts included the distribution of essential resources like Naloxone. On July 11th, 2016, syringe access programs gained legal recognition in North Carolina, inspiring Steady's board members and dedicated volunteers to identify suitable locations for comprehensive harm reduction services. Within a year of that first community meeting, Steady had its first syringe access outreach day in the back of Firestorm Books in West Asheville.

We believe deeply that it is essential for drug users to be the leaders of the Harm Reduction movement. People who use drugs ultimately determine the nature of the services and support offered by The Steady Collective. We work to prioritize the voices of current and former drug users in every aspect of our work with current and former drug users on our staff and board of directors. Additionally, in our paid Participant Advisory Committee meetings we facilitate discussions with current participants in our syringe exchange program to learn how we can best tailor our programs to fit the current needs of the community.

At the center of everything we do is an unwavering belief in the dignity of all drug users and their right to the resources which keep them safe.