Challenges Inc SC

12/23/2025

Update: We’re officially SOLD OUT! 🎉 Thank you all for the incredible support. Stay tuned for the next date coming soon!

We're thrilled to finally offer the HRS training in collaboration with South Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition. This 15 hour virtual training will take place on Feb. 5th & 6th. Scholarships are available. More info can be found at: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/schrc/harm-reduction-specialist-certification-by-schrc

12/23/2025

Big updates for 2026 🎉
We’re expanding access and officially adding Anderson County and Spartanburg County to our schedule. With the opening of our new physical space and set office hours, we’ve also adjusted our Friday mobile unit hours to end at 4:30 PM.

All changes go into effect starting the week of January 5th.
More locations. More access. Same commitment to harm reduction.

12/23/2025

You’re invited! Join us for an Open House at Challenges Inc. SC and get a firsthand look at our new space.

Come tour the space, enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, meet our staff, and learn more about the harm reduction work happening every day to support people who use drugs in our community. This is a drop-in style open house; come and go as you please. All are welcome!

12/22/2025

🎙️ New Episode is Live
Episode 4 – Carrying the Story Forward

For the final episode of The Needle and the Narrative special four-part series, the mic turns inward to our host.

This week, Marc Burrows sits with Raymond Velazquez-Turner to share a conversation rooted in lived experience, leadership, and what it really means to show up fully in harm reduction work. We talk about substance use, housing instability, s*x work, living with HIV, and the reality of navigating systems that often demand credibility at the cost of truth.

🔗 Link in bio and here: https://challengesinc.org/podcast

***rLeadership

12/19/2025

New episode of The Needle and the Narrative coming soon! This time with a twist! Available on all platforms.

12/18/2025

🎄 Holiday Closure Reminder 🎄

Just a reminder that both the office and the bus will be closed for the Christmas holiday from Wednesday, December 24 through Friday, December 26.

We are open and available to serve you on 12/18, 12/19, 12/22 and 12/23 with our regular office and Bus schedule those days.

Please plan ahead if you need supplies or services before the holiday closure. We look forward to seeing you before then and wish everyone a safe and restful holiday! 💙

12/05/2025

Thank you for representing Challenges and speaking on the harm reduction work happening in South Carolina at this years APSC conference!

12/04/2025

🎙️ New Episode is Live
More Than a Moment: Q***r Journeys Through Harm & Healing

This week on The Needle and the Narrative, I sat down with writer and harm-reduction advocate Nathaniel Bush to talk about what recovery and resilience look like in q***r lives. We get into substance use, HIV risk, spirituality, grief, friendship, and what it takes to access affirming care when systems aren’t built for us.

Nathaniel’s work has been shaped by community, by loss, and by survival. His voice is a reminder that healing isn’t linear, and that harm reduction is about love as much as it is about safety. If you care about q***r health, storytelling, and the power of showing up for each other, this one matters.

🔗 Link in bio and here: https://challengesinc.org/podcast

Big thanks to The Counter Narrative Project for supporting this series, and to everyone pushing for a world where q***r stories are more than a moment—they’re part of the movement.

***rHealing ***rjoy

12/01/2025

December 1st is World AIDS Day, a time to remember those we’ve lost, honor those living with HIV and continue the fight for education, prevention, and care. ❤️

Join us Monday, December 1st at our Whitehorse Road location, where AID Upstate will be on-site providing free HIV testing and resources. Let’s work together to raise awareness and end the stigma.

11/30/2025

We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our new SSP office in Greenville, tomorrow! We’ll have harm reduction supplies, support, and a safer space for anyone who needs us, and there’s more to come as we continue expanding services.

We’re ready to serve, support, and keep showing up for our community.

11/29/2025

A commentary in the The Post and Courier written by our intern Josh Sullins from Furman University's master of science in community-engaged medicine program. It has been an honor to work with Josh and to reduce stigma towards people who use drugs by shsping our future physicians. One more advocate is ready to go! Congratulations on this piece Josh and in all of your continued success!


https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/harm-reduction-programs-rural-sc-opioid-crisis/article_439ed643-1486-4c74-b77f-c03275b33d75.html #

Harm reduction programs like syringe exchanges and access to naloxone can combat rural opioid crisis, but moral biases, stigma and outdated laws hinder progress

11/25/2025

We’ll be closed for mobile services and our office on the listed holiday dates. This gives our staff time to rest, reset, and recharge so we can continue showing up fully for our community. 💛

Thank you for understanding, and we hope everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday season.