North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) is North Carolina’s only comprehensive harm reduction program. NCHRC engages in grassroots advocacy, resource development, coalition building and direct services for law enforcement and those made vulnerable by drug use, sex work, overdose, immigration status, gender, STIs, HIV and hepatitis.

Our mission

Encourage and motivate the acceptance of harm reduction strategies in North Carolina through education, interventions, advocacy, and resource development.

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 sex workers, crack smokers, injection drug users and others who engage in high-risk activities closer to prevention and health services 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 helps clients live healthier and more fulfilling lives, while raising the health index of the community.