Peers are people who are actively using drugs, doing sex work, living unhoused, and/or with mental illness. Having peers volunteer, work for, and run harm reduction organizations is critical to ensure that (following the Principles of Harm Reduction) “drug users and those with a history of drug use routinely have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them.” and to “affirm drug users themselves as the primary agents of reducing the harms of their drug use”.

Moreover, more than 30 years of HIV prevention and other public health practice clearly demonstrates that programs with peer involvement have better outcomes than those that don’t.

The following four articles in this section discuss why and how to involve peers in your program and addresses many of the top issues that programs and peers face regarding hiring and retaining peers.