Jade Boyd1, Lindsey Richardson2, Solanna Anderson3, Thomas Kerr4, Will Small5, Ryan McNeil6. 1. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address: jboyd@cfenet.ubc.ca. 2. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 3. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 4. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 5. British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada. 6. Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Income is an important determinant of health among people who use drugs (PWUD). However, understanding transitions between differing types of income generation within the formal and informal economy and how they can be shaped by vulnerability to risk and harm remain poorly understood. This study examines how transitions in income-generating activities are shaped by and influence exposure to violence among marginalised PWUD, in Vancouver, Canada's, Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals engaged in informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, focusing on relationships between income generation and violence during the study period between January 2014 to April 2015 and drew upon concepts of social violence when interpreting these themes. RESULTS: Participants' engagement in informal and illegal income-generating activities represented a means to negotiate survival given multiple barriers to formal employment and inadequate economic supports. Our findings highlight how informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES are characterized by structural, symbolic and everyday violence, while transitions from 'high risk' (e.g., sex work, drug dealing) to perceived 'low risk' (e.g., recycling) activities represent attempts to reduce exposure to violence. However, participants emphasized how informal income generation was nonetheless shaped by structural violence (e.g., gendered hierarchies and police harassment), experienced as everyday violence, and introduced exposure to alternate risks. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the critical role of income generation in shaping exposure to violence, highlighting the need for low-threshold employment interventions targeting PWUD as a central component of harm reduction strategies.
BACKGROUND: Income is an important determinant of health among people who use drugs (PWUD). However, understanding transitions between differing types of income generation within the formal and informal economy and how they can be shaped by vulnerability to risk and harm remain poorly understood. This study examines how transitions in income-generating activities are shaped by and influence exposure to violence among marginalised PWUD, in Vancouver, Canada's, Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals engaged in informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, focusing on relationships between income generation and violence during the study period between January 2014 to April 2015 and drew upon concepts of social violence when interpreting these themes. RESULTS:Participants' engagement in informal and illegal income-generating activities represented a means to negotiate survival given multiple barriers to formal employment and inadequate economic supports. Our findings highlight how informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES are characterized by structural, symbolic and everyday violence, while transitions from 'high risk' (e.g., sex work, drug dealing) to perceived 'low risk' (e.g., recycling) activities represent attempts to reduce exposure to violence. However, participants emphasized how informal income generation was nonetheless shaped by structural violence (e.g., gendered hierarchies and police harassment), experienced as everyday violence, and introduced exposure to alternate risks. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the critical role of income generation in shaping exposure to violence, highlighting the need for low-threshold employment interventions targeting PWUD as a central component of harm reduction strategies.
Authors: Lindsey A Richardson; Cathy Long; Kora DeBeck; Paul Nguyen; M-J S Milloy; Evan Wood; Thomas H Kerr Journal: J Epidemiol Community Health Date: 2015-02-17 Impact factor: 3.710
Authors: Steffanie A Strathdee; Steven Shoptaw; Typhanye Penniman Dyer; Vu Minh Quan; Apinun Aramrattana Journal: Curr Opin HIV AIDS Date: 2012-07 Impact factor: 4.283
Authors: Jade Boyd; Jennifer Lavalley; Sandra Czechaczek; Samara Mayer; Thomas Kerr; Lisa Maher; Ryan McNeil Journal: Int J Drug Policy Date: 2020-04-02