ID: HR19-771
Presenting author: Kat Morrison
Kat Morrison
ABSTRACT
Project background – Sinners Dinners is a targeted community event that was established in 2008 by the Sex Industry Network (SIN) a Non-Government Organisation located in Adelaide, South Australia (SA). The event is driven by the SIN Street Outreach Project and facilitated by SIN Street Outreach Project workers. Sinners Dinners is a monthly event held in a geographical location convenient to the SA street based sex work (SBSW) population. The majority of SBSWs in SA identify as intravenous drug users. Sinners Dinners was created after consultation with SBSWs identified the need for a safe, social, targeted event.
Aims – The monthly dinners aim to boost community capacity, build solidarity, share lived experiences, empower SBSWs, and disseminate information and education, as well as providing an easy pathway for the provision of safer injecting equipment.
Outcomes - Sinners Dinners is consistently informed by community members. Better health outcomes for SBSWs have been evidenced (low prevalence of STIs and BBVs), as have an increase in referral pathways. SBSWs have built bridges between SIN staff members and each other; these bridges enable SBSWs to share information regarding drugs of dependence, policing activity, as well as information regarding ‘ugly mugs’ (violent/aggressive clients). SIN Street Outreach workers distributed an average of 1395 needles and syringes per month during the 2017/18 financial year, with an average community engagement of 31 instances per month. Both of these numbers have increased from the 2016/17 financial year. Sinners Dinners will continue as a monthly event into the future.