The Evidence
Links to studies, articles, and videos that support the mandate and mission of qHRS.
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How poverty generates crime and what the solutions should be
Poverty prevention is crime prevention
Substance Use Disorder is a disability
https://www.ohrc.on.ca/tl/node/2861
Disability supports in Canada fall short
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Housing First programs have better outcomes than treatment in reducing homelessness
https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/camh-and-st-michael-study-on-homelessness
New research confirms that housing first works and treatment first does not - 2026
https://homelesshub.ca/blog/2026/housing-first-works/
The connection between homelessness and substance use
https://homelesshub.ca/collection/homelessness-101/substance-use-addiction/
Cost analysis of housing first
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Involuntary Treatment evidence brief
https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2025-02/Involuntary-Treatment-Evidence-Brief-en.pdf
Peer-led and informed programming aid success in treatment and recovery programming and medication assisted therapy for OUD
Barriers to successful treatment for substance use disorder
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9434658/
Community based care over institutionalized care
Involuntary treatment is criminalization
https://www.pivotlegal.org/involuntary_treatment_criminalization_by_another_name
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Our government is ignoring the experts
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/opioid-overdose-crisis-street-drug-government-funding-9.6976562
Vancouver program that prescribes fentanyl
https://filtermag.org/safe-supply-phs-vancouver-prescription-fentanyl/
How prescription heroin is saving lives
https://www.bccsu.ca/blog/news/how-prescription-heroin-is-saving-lives/
Safe Supply did not “flood the streets with drugs”
https://www.bccsu.ca/blog/news/bc-governments-crackdown-on-safe-supply-spreads-fear/
Cost effectiveness of harm reduction
https://hri.global/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COST_EFFECTIVENESS_BRIEFING-APRIL-2020-ENG.pdf
Harm reduction services do not lead to increased crime in communities
Supervised injection sites have good outcomes
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5685449/
Safe Supply: Scaled Up Too Quickly and Was Ended Too Quickly - 2026
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2848523
The Evolving Illicit Drug Market and Polysubstance Use Need to Be Considered
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871626002553
Autonomy Has to be Respected When Offering Safe Supply and OAT
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The Iron Law of Prohibition
https://filtermag.org/infographic-the-iron-law-of-prohibition/
The War on Drugs creates more crime and enriches criminals
https://drugpolicy.ca/count-the-cost-report-the-war-on-drugs-creating-crime-enriching-criminals/
Decriminalization was the right move, but it was done wrong
https://drugpolicy.ca/bc-revives-criminalization/
Incarceration Does Not Lead to Sustained Abstinence
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6381679/
Prevention and Health Care Work Better than Law Enforcement
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Promoting stigma as prevention is not good public health policy
https://drugpolicy.ca/the-impact-of-stigma-and-avoiding-stigmatizing-language/
Stigma is a Barrier to Treatment and Recovery
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10867215/
BC Coroner’s Report – November 2023
BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner Statement – November 2025
https://bchumanrights.ca/resources/publications/publication/toxic-drug-crisis/
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Short documentary of a peer led drop-in centre in the DTES
Impacts of peer-led advocacy
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/14659891.2013.775608
Tackling the toxic drug crisis with the power of community
https://www.ccsa.ca/en/harnessing-power-community-tackle-toxic-drug-crisis
Peer-led Initiatives Can Increase Success of Harm Reduction Services
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395924002986