Here's why Ontario cities are getting vending machines with condoms and overdose kits

A new type of vending machine has been popping up in cities around Ontario, equipped not with snacks or beverages, but with a very different kind of necessity.

Nestled near community services centres like SOAR in Brantford and Casey House in Toronto, the high-tech machines carry a range of harm reduction products, from naloxone kits, pipes and other safe drug use supplies to condoms and self-testing equipment.

Some also have tools like interactive maps that show where the nearest warming and drop-in centres are.

Casey House calls theirs SASSY (Safely Access Services and Supplies for You), and offers all items anonymously and 24/7. 

Others, like the one in Brantford, are only available during certain hours and require users to make an account to better keep track of supplies taken.

SASSY (behind Casey House) - machines dispensing free naloxone kits, safe injection supplies, condoms & provides useful information for people in need
byu/MeiliCanada82 intoronto

"Our vending machines provide free equipment and help people access local resources; this includes sexual health supplies, clean needles, pipes and other supplies for safer drug use," a representative from Casey House tells blogTO, adding that they just launched SASSY in early July.

"The machines also have a comprehensive catalogue of community services our clients and community members need, such as housing assistance, meal assistance, and social services."

Staff describe the device as a "tidier," more discrete low-barrier way to get clients the same Toronto Public Health supplies they already offer during opening hours, and it seems that those who've spotted the machines thus far are pretty in support of the idea.