Category: Substance Use
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Risebridge offers community support
We are so fortunate that Marnie Boers, a Director with Risebridge, made time to answer questions from PAN about their Fall 2025 operations. 1. Tell us about your drop-in times. Where are they, when are they, and what kind of support is provided to people who attend? Community drop-in times…
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News that surprised exactly ZERO frontline workers
By Sarah Pump, PAN Executive Director “Despite increased demand, access to basic needs services in Nanaimo has declined over the past decade,” says a report from staff at the City of Nanaimo. On May 12th, 2025, City of Nanaimo staff presented a report to the Governance and Priorities Committee about…
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PAN Stands with Dr. Jess Wilder
By Sarah Pump, PAN Founder and Executive Director On January 22, Dr. Jess Wilder was placed on administrative leave from her physician lead positions in harm reduction and education, and addiction medicine at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. This leave was a punitive response to Dr. Wilder’s advocacy on behalf of…
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Why public libraries are not substitutes for warming centers: a librarian’s perspective
From Sarah Pump, PAN Executive Director Currently, there is only one funded daytime warming center for unhoused people in Nanaimo, the Drop-In Center located at 55 Victoria Road and run by Island Crisis Care Society. Their capacity is 20 people at a time. Estimates of the number of unhoused people…
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One Risebridge Volunteer shares their story
By PAN Contributor Christine I have been volunteering at Risebridge since November 2023. I have met so many wonderful people. I had wanted to get involved with helping the unhoused for years, but I didn’t know how to go about it. One day, I was on Facebook and saw a…
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Moms Stop The Harm
Gretchen from Moms Stop The Harm graciously took the time to answer our questions about the organization, what it offers in Nanaimo, her role, and her very personal reason for doing this work. 1. What is the purpose of Moms Stop the Harm? How did it start? Moms Stop the…
Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo 