The Drop-In is open nightly from Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm-6am. (After closing on Sunday morning at 6am the Drop-In remains closed until Tuesday at 6pm.)
The Drop-In Program provides a safe, welcoming, and non-judgemental space for cis and trans women, Two-Spirit, non-binary, and gender diverse active sex workers. This critical resource has been supporting street-based sex workers since 1984.
“Call it home, call it family, call it whatever you want, but we all come here to take care of ourselves.”
– WISH participant
Drop-In staff meet participants where they’re at and understand that each person is an expert in their own life.
In this low-barrier space participants can expect:
A safe place to relax and just be yourself.
Access to essential harm reduction supplies.
Clothing, shoes/boots, and makeup.
Respectful response to conflict, using an intersectional framework.
Opportunities to build community, learn new skills, talk about sex work, and develop strategies to increase safety.
To prioritize the privacy and security of participants, the Drop-In is only open to participants, staff, and invited guests. WISH staff will pass messages on to participants but will not confirm or deny if that person accesses the program. This confidentiality policy applies to friends, family, community members, and police officers.
Drop-In FAQs
Why is the Drop-In Program focusing on active street-based sex workers?
The Drop-In is operated by and for women and gender diverse sex workers, providing services overnight to support participants when other options are not available. To ensure that these sex-worker specific services are reaching the people who need them most, Drop-In access is now available to active sex workers only.
This decision was informed by feedback from participants reporting the need for increased safety in the space, as well as requests for programs and services that directly meet their needs as workers. The recent closure of programs at PACE Society, and Atira’s SisterSquare site, adds additional urgency to the need for specific, responsive, programming for street-based sex workers in the DTES.
Please note that other WISH programs, including the MAP Van, Indigenous Health & Safety, and InReach, provide support to both current and former street-based sex workers.
How can an active street-based sex worker access the Drop-In Program?
Just drop in! The first time someone visits the Drop-In, they are invited to a “new face” conversation with a staff member. During this conversation, the staff member will ask about experience in sex work, and explain what services are available at WISH. This takes about 20-30 minutes. After that, participants are welcome to access any WISH program at their convenience.
What activities are being offered in the Drop-In?
Throughout the month, a wide variety of activities are offered. You can find details listed in the monthly WISH Calendar. These events and activities are led by Program Facilitators and community members, covering sex work specific topics and much more.
Suggestions are welcome! Participants are invited to bring their ideas to a Program Facilitator, the monthly WISH Advisory Group (WAG) meeting, or make an anonymous request using the Drop-In suggestion box.
When is food served in the Drop-In?
A sit-down community dinner is served from 6pm-8pm each night (food is also available to go). Overnight, there is a snack available between 1am-4am. In the morning, a take-out breakfast is served before the Drop-In closes at 6am.
What other essential items can participants access?
The Drop-In Program provides items to meet the immediate needs of participants, including: – Harm reduction supplies for safer sex, safer injection, and safer inhalation. – Clothing room stocked with clothes, shoes, boots, hats, wigs, bags and pyjamas. – Bonnie’s Boutique (makeup room) providing bras, socks, underwear, shower supplies, razors, makeup, skincare, jewelry and eyeglasses.
How can participants connect with other WISH services?
Referrals are available anytime. Program Facilitators in the Drop-In provide information about resources in the community and other supports available at WISH.
To complete a Bad Date Report, participants can get support from any staff member in the Drop-In, connect with MAP Van staff off-site, or book some time to speak one-to-one with a WISH InReach worker.
