COMMUNITY INITIATIVE FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY
Description | Mission/objectives
Description
The Community Initiative for Health and Safety (CIHS) is a project that grew out of recognition by Living in Community about the need for immediate tools to deal with the concerns that residents, businesses and sex workers face daily. Initiated by Living in Community, CIHS was housed at PACE Society. The aim of the project was to develop tools for the community to build understanding between community members, and to provide essential resources and strategies to best work through the negative impacts of street level sex work.
During the summer and fall of 2006, the CIHS team held a series of focus groups and dialogues with different groups of people, from police officers to business to street nurses to sex workers. Information collected at the Living in Community neighbourhood dialogues was also used. Based on what they heard during the consultations, they developed an information and education website packed with useful tips in order for diverse community members to work together to increase the health and safety of Vancouver neighbourhoods. Information found on the website includes: how to build relationships between sex workers and other community members, tips for johns on respecting the neighbourhoods they frequent, how to prevent sexual exploitation of young people, and suggesting strategies for sex workers who want to exit the industry.
Recognizing that not everyone has access to a computer, CIHS partnered with the Environmental Youth Alliance to produce a printed resource guide that highlights key information from the website and includes contact information for resources to assist people in times of need and crisis. This resource guide is being distributed through various community and business organizations. This health and safety toolkit was launched in April 2007 and will assist in garnering a broader understanding of sex work, community safety and collaboration as well as the different services and supports available to all members of community.
The toolkit can be found at www.livingincommunity.ca/toolkit
Mission/objectives
Mission statement
To promote dialogue that will be directly instrumental in the creation of innovative tools, which will improve the health and safety conditions for communities impacted by street level sex work. This project is inclusive of the voice and experience of current and former sex workers who, in partnership with community, will assist in the creation of the toolkit.
Objectives
• To create training and employment opportunities for experiential people that will provide a stepping stone to exit the sex industry.
• To engage, facilitate discussions and create awareness in the community as a whole.
• To produce a toolkit that will improve the health and safety conditions for communities impacted by street level sex work.
• To implement the toolkit and link connect these findings to the work of the Living in Community project.