Onsite

Onsite is a program that provides accessible substance use stabilization services to individuals from the Downtown Eastside community, where healing and recovery are guided by the unique needs and choices of each person. The program includes 12 short-term, clinically supervised, substance use stabilization beds, 18 longer-term supportive recovery beds, and programming for early recovery with case management and long-term goal setting. It is designed for people with substance use disorder who have been negatively impacted by both medical and social determinants of health, with services oriented to principles of intersectional equity, relational care, trauma informed practice, and harm reduction.

Onsite is operated collaboratively by PHS Community Services Society and Vancouver Coastal Health and is licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.

Services include:

• Enhanced clinical support for people who use substances
• Connection to dental care, in-community primary care, and referrals to specialist clinical services
• Daily programming that offers a wide range of recovery-oriented options such as Indigenous cultural wellness, acupuncture, and yoga
• Collaborative care planning, case management, and referrals to longer-term supports
• Laundry
• Nutritious meals and snacks

Eligibility:

Adults 19 years and older with substance use disorders (all genders). Youth may be admitted under limited and special circumstance, pending consultation and care planning with relevant stakeholders and authorities

People who have completed acute withdrawal management and require further stabilization in a medically supervised setting

Onsite is located directly above Insite, North America’s first legal Supervised Injection Site, which opened in 2003. Onsite opened in September 2007 as an enhancement to the harm reduction and community support services in the DTES. Both Insite and Onsite comprise an integrated continuum of care that remains critically relevant today as flagship initiatives to improve health outcomes for those affected by the toxic drug poisoning crisis.

Onsite aims to foster an environment of respect, cultural safety, and empowerment that is rooted in harm reduction and relational care. Through a holistic framework of care that provides low-threshold access to medical, social and environmental resources, Onsite is recognized as a unique and vital program that offers a range of supports and services to the community.