North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to the implementation of harm reduction interventions, public health strategies, drug policy transformation, and justice reform in North Carolina and throughout the American South. NCHRC engages in grassroots advocacy, resource and policy development, coalition building, and direct services for law enforcement and people impacted by drug use, incarceration, sex work, overdose, gender, HIV and hepatitis.

Our mission

Encourage and motivate the implementation of harm reduction interventions, public health strategies, drug policy transformation, and justice reform in North Carolina and the American South through leadership, advocacy, resource and policy development, and education.

Defining Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction...Emphasizes tolerance, respect for the personal choices of others and respect for human rights. It favors evidence over anecdote, courage over cowardice and doing what is right even if it seems to send the “wrong message.”

It means doing what has to be done to protect the public health in the face of opposition from all quarters because it is the right thing to do.

NCHRC Vision

The key to bringing people who use drugs, engage in sex work or have histories of incarceration closer to disease prevention, health services, and reduced recidivism is to treat every person, regardless of their circumstance or condition, with dignity and respect. NCHRC’s nonjudgmental approach allows our members to move through a process of self-discovery and self-empowerment at their own pace (this is based off the behavioral theory “stages of change”). By developing relationships based on honesty, community, tolerance and cooperation, our staff and volunteers help clients live healthier and more fulfilling lives, while raising the health and safety index of the community.