Addressing the Crisis of Using Alone

The Overdose Response Network (ORN) is a mobile app that seeks to take the benefits of safe consumption sites virtual, connecting people who use opioids with nearby peers who can respond to overdose alerts with naloxone. Over 80% of people who inject drugs report using alone, and in 75% of overdose deaths, the person was likely alone at the time. The rise in toxic drug supply, social isolation, stigma, limited access to safe consumption services, and pandemic-related disruptions have magnified these risks. With 90% of opioid-related deaths occurring indoors—and fatalities doubling in supportive housing during 2020—ORN aims to fill a critical gap in harm reduction: a viable safety option for people who must use alone.

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Community-Driven Design

At the core of ORN is a deeply community-driven approach. The OpenLab team embedded themselves within the environments where drug use and peer support occur—visiting safe consumption sites and working with harm reduction organizations and supportive housing programs. They have engaged over 100 people with lived experience, including PWUD and frontline harm reduction workers, some of whom have formed the Community Advisory Committee for this project. This ongoing collaboration ensures that ORN remains authentic, practical, and grounded in the realities of those it is built to serve.

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A Virtual Safety Net

ORN transforms peer-based harm reduction into a real-time digital safety net. Users can set a timer before using opioids; as the countdown approaches zero, the app prompts them to check in. If the user does not confirm they are safe, the app automatically sends an alert to nearby peers equipped with naloxone. Responders receive both the user’s location and pre-entered instructions (e.g., apartment unit details), enabling rapid, informed action. The app allows people to both offer and receive support, creating a reciprocal community network that mirrors the ethos of in-person safe consumption services—now accessible digitally.

 

Current Study

In summer 2022, ORN conducted a month-long feasibility test with Fred Victor across several supportive housing and respite sites that helped inform the user experience of the app and validate our assumption that this project could provide meaningful support to the community of People Who Use Drugs in Toronto. The current study builds on that work to pilot a production version of the app in these same settings. It aims to enrol up to 100 participants across three supportive housing sites across the GTA to engage with the app over a 6-month period. Rollout of the new app to two sites began in October, 2025; the third site is scheduled to be onboarded early 2026.

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Thanks to our Supporters and Collaborators!

Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), Fred Victor, Peterson Foundation, Telus, Street Health, Health Commons Solutions Lab, Code the Change Foundation, St. Stephen’s House, Sistering, Moss Park Safe Consumption Site

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Contact: Craig Madho

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