Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users

One of a series of handbooks created for the Campaign for New Community Group in 1994 to aid in providing shelter and services to people in need in Washington D.C. This handbook is intended for activists, service providers, planners, and clients. It is based on research undertaken to identify good and bad sitting strategies when it comes to initiating services for people in need in various neighborhoods. Good strategies are required in order to avoid "not in my backyard" reactions from residents. The interaction of three factors (characteristics of the host community; type of proposed facility; and the kinds of people who will be using the facility) influence the success of sitting. Success will often depend on the service providers and advocates providing a lot of information; having good experience and reputations; holding open houses; publicizing expert and celebrity opinion; promotion through the media; and holding public meetings, information sessions, dialogue, and negotiation and mediation with the host community.

This article is a review of current literature detailing the issues facing aboriginal people across Canada who are identified as living with HIV/AIDS. The report reviews housing options available to Aboriginals in urban, sub-urban, reserve and remote living areas. The reviews are drawn from various governmental and community sources inlcuding private papers on the subject, Royal Commissions, and statistical data supplied by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Department of Indian Affairs (DIA), the Canada Census, Statistics Canada 1992 and post-censural Aboriginal People's Survey (APS). A summary of the findings indicate that there is a tremendous shortage of housing available to all Aboriginal people in general; housing conditions are among the worst in Canada, education, prevention and care programs for the Aboriginal community needs to be holistic, culturally appropriate and delivered by the Aboriginal community and that there are currently little or no housing options directly related to housing issues of Aboriginal peoples with HIV/AIDS, and that there exist great obstacles in the provisioning and creation of such housing options; this fact impeded further by poor funding, funding freezes and several jurisdictional issues which impede the funnelling of any housing, health and AIDS care funding into Aboriginal communities.

Fact sheet published by the office of Justice Programs and posted by the San Mateo County Superior Court on their information website providing a brief overview of the history of drug courts in the US.

This is a brief prepared by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency comparing two models of Drug Court programs: Dedicated Drug Treatment and Speedy trial and Differentiated Case Management. The report details the rationale for the implementation of Drug courts in the late 1980's and the emergent models and their critical elements. Program experiences are detailed including evaluations. Sources for further information are also provided.