Community Supports

The Sea to Sky Community Action Team (S2S CAT) is a community lead initiative, funded by the Community Action Initiative (CAI) of the province of British Columbia to address the overdose crisis, save lives, and reduce stigma by working many different community members, including the Squamish Nation, District of Squamish, the Squamish RCMP, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Whistler Community Services, and peers (people with lived experience of addictions, mental health challenges, and stigma).

The intention of this work is to ensure that all voices in our community are heard and recognized as we create community-based solutions to the complex issues of substance use, homelessness, and poverty.

The S2S CAT team has been operating since 2021 with regular meetings and has achieved:

• creation of a Peer Advocacy program to address specific issues and offer paid work for community clean-ups, assistance in the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS), and street reach walks to provide services and supplies for unhoused people
• commemoration of International Overdose Awareness Day with events and activities in the week of August 31
• development and implementation of Street Degree program to engage and provide education, training, and skills
• regular updates and knowledge sharing of day-to-day and emergent issues
• consistent drug testing at OPS through partnership with Whistler Community Services

Reducing risks, saving lives—our harm reduction initiatives prioritize safety, education, and non-judgmental care for those navigating challenging circumstances.

Harm reduction saves lives. The Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) was established in Squamish to respond to the drug poisoning public health crisis. By providing on-site care, drug testing, and consumption monitoring, our team gives critical care to those in need.

In 2025, the OPS saw an average of 75 safe consumption visits per day with roughly 10 drug poisonings each month. Our skilled staff reversed 125 toxic drug poisonings at the OPS and an additional 27 at Under One Roof to save people from fatal overdose.

Since the site opened in 2021, it has had 94,460 visits and reversed 527 toxic drug poisonings with no deaths. 

Operated by Squamish Helping Hands in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, trained staff and volunteers supervise consumption, test drugs, and provide harm reduction services. These services help reduce deaths, hospitalizations, police interactions and instances of drug-related violence.