Peer Support
Empowering Connections: Peer Support Programs for HIV+ Individuals and Sex Workers, including Trans Sex Workers
We offer Peer support (individual and group programs) for people living with HIV and Peer support (group based) for sex workers, including a group for trans sex workers.
Plus Friends: a safe and inclusive group for anyone living with HIV. This group aims to offer support and community in a social setting. Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month in the evening.
Positive Connections: a monthly peer support group, a non-judgmental and safe place for women to share their stories, successes, and challenges of living with HIV.
Parejas Unidas: un grupo de apoyo mensual para parejas que hablan principalmente Español (a monthly support group for couples who speak primarily Spanish).
Coffee Connections: A monthly group who come to the office space to drink coffee, eat pastries and socialize with their peers.
Trans Sex Worker Group: In partnership with Skipping Stones, a quarterly meeting for those who identify as Trans and are sex workers. A place for peers to chat with each other about issues they face.
Sex Worker “workshops”: In partnership with Thrive Hive, quarterly meetings to talk about sex worker specific issues. Also bringing in people to help with taxes, to talk about tenancy act in relationship to indoor sex workers, people to talk about the laws and how they are changing and everything in between.
To connect with the HIV Peer Support Program, email peer@safelinkalberta.ca
To connect with the Shift Peer Support Program for sex workers, email shift@safelinkalberta.ca
Shift has a harm reduction and rights-based approach to sex work.
Shift is a Calgary-based program that provides support to adults currently or previously engaged in sex work. Shift uses a rights-based approach to sex work, recognizing that sex work is a choice for many and respecting the rights of adults to make this choice. Shift also recognizes that for some, factors such as poverty or exploitation can put people into situations where they don’t have control. The program meets people where they are at, whether they want to continue sex work, safely transition, or anything in-between.
