Peddlers of Hope: A Harm Reduction to Street-Involved Youth who Struggle with Substance Use

Abstract

In this paper, the author conducted an extended literature review to examine the limitations and potential consequences of the mainstream interventions for street-youth who struggle with substance misuse. Harm reduction is discussed as an alternative model of intervention for street-youth. The author aims to provide a solid understanding of how a harm reduction approach strives to de-marginalize and humanize individuals through respect, empathy, open conversation, and client-centeredness. This paper hopes to liberate individuals who struggle from substance misuse as well as professionals in the human-services field from being bounded by mainstream intervention practices and their underlying values and beliefs. In the final chapter of this paper, a concrete working model that tailors toward street-youth is proposed. The proposed model of intervention integrates components from various harm reduction programs as well as pieces the author thought to be important or missing.