What Dr. Peter Centre does

The Dr. Peter Centre is a Vancouver-based registered Canadian charity (Charitable Registration #89738 1141 RR0001) operating since 1997 from a single 1110 Comox St facility, providing integrated harm-reduction healthcare to people living with HIV/AIDS who commonly face co-occurring mental health, substance use, and homelessness challenges. It runs a 'Campus of Care' model consisting of a Day Health Program (500+ participants, 7 days/week), a 24-hour licensed care residence for high-acuity residents, Enhanced Supportive Housing for stabilized clients, and integrated clinical services — including the first supervised consumption service embedded in a North American healthcare facility (since 2002) and an Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment (iOAT) program delivering twice-daily prescribed hydromorphone or diacetylmorphine. Adjacent core services include Mental Health (art, music, recreation therapy), the Food and Nutrition Program (80,000+ nutrient-dense meals per year as a harm-reduction gateway to clinical engagement), the Aging Gay Men & HIV evening program, and a Hepatitis C program.

Services are provided free of charge to all participants; the organization charges no fees for clinical care, meals, residence, or therapies. Revenue is approximately 84% government-funded — drawn from Vancouver Coastal Health, the Province of British Columbia, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada's Substance Use and Addiction Program, and CIHR — with the balance from individual and corporate donations channeled primarily through three signature fundraising events (Life Commitment Gala, Passions Gala, Pride Cocktail Kickoff) and the newly established Affirmation Fund. National scaling is delivered through Frontline Solutions, a division that has run 15 capacity-building projects with 440+ Canadian organizations since 2017, including the Indigenous-led Canoe Project with CAAN and the PHAC2-NCB community-of-practice program. Leadership is provided by CEO Scott Elliott, COO Jason Altenberg (appointed October 2024, the organization's first COO), and a 13-member Board of Directors chaired by Sarah Evans (effective September 2025).

Name

Dr. Peter Centre

Legal name

Dr. Peter Centre

Website

https://drpeter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Dr. Peter Centre is a Vancouver-based nonprofit that delivers integrated harm-reduction healthcare — including HIV care, mental-health therapy, meals, supervised consumption, iOAT, and housing — to over 500 participants annually and runs national capacity-building for 440+ harm reduction organizations across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HIV/AIDS Community Healthcare Services

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

Keywords

• HIV/AIDS healthcare services
• Harm reduction programs
• Supportive housing services
• Mental health therapy
• Community healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Approximately 84% of the Dr. Peter Centre's operational funding comes from government sources (federal and provincial), including Vancouver Coastal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research grants.
2. Charitable Donations & Fundraising Events: Individual and corporate donations through signature events (Life Commitment Gala ~$1M, Passions Gala ~$200K, Pride Cocktail Kickoff ~$150K), monthly giving, legacy bequests, donated securities, and in-kind item donations.
3. Frontline Solutions National Programs: National capacity-building programs funded by PHAC Immunization Partnership Fund, PHAC Substance Use and Addiction Program (SUAP), and other federal grants supporting knowledge translation and harm reduction training across Canadian frontline organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dr. Peter Centre provides integrated, stigma-free healthcare and supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness through a "Campus of Care" model that combines a Day Health Program, a 24-hour licensed care residence, Enhanced Supportive Housing, clinical care (including supervised consumption and iOAT), food and nutrition services, and mental health therapies (art, music, recreation). All services are delivered free of charge to participants at its Vancouver facility and, through the Frontline Solutions division, capacity-building training and mentorship is extended to over 440 harm reduction organizations across Canada.

Product overview

The Dr. Peter Centre is a unified healthcare organization in Vancouver, BC that operates a campus of care model consisting of four interconnected core services: the Day Health Program (providing meals, therapeutic programs, and clinical care), the 24-Hour Licensed Care Residence (for complex medical needs), Enhanced Supportive Housing (for transitional residents), and Clinical Care (including supervised consumption services and iOAT program). These are supported by specialized programs including Mental Health Services (art, music, and recreation therapy), Food and Nutrition Program, Aging Gay Men & HIV Program, and Hep C Program. The organization also operates Frontline Solutions, a national division providing capacity-building and knowledge translation services including the Canoe Project (Indigenous harm reduction) and PHAC2-NCB to organizations across Canada. Knowledge products like Stitch In: The Sidelined 2% disseminate best practices nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frontline Solutions: A division of the Dr. Peter Centre focused on generating, validating, and amplifying solutions for complex care across Canada through knowledge translation, mentorship, training, and community of practice programs.

Products and services

• Day Health Program Comprehensive day health program open 7 days/week 9AM-3PM serving 500+ participants with hot meals, art/music/recreation therapy, counselling, clinical care, and special programs for women and Indigenous people.
• 24-Hour Licensed Care Residence 24-hour licensed care facility providing comprehensive medical support, health stabilization, and end-of-life care for participants with highly complex medical and social needs.
• Enhanced Supportive Housing Independent supportive housing apartments for residents healthy enough to transition out of 24-hour residential care, providing continued support and stability.
• Clinical Care & Harm Reduction Integrated nursing care using a harm reduction approach providing medication management, wound care, footcare, health assessments, mental health support, STI/STBBI testing, and addiction medicine including OAT and iOAT services.
• Supervised Consumption Services Supervised injection and consumption services integrated into the model of care since 2002, protected under Section 56 CDSA exemption (since 2016).
• iOAT Program Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment program providing prescribed hydromorphone or diacetylmorphine twice daily in a clinical setting for approximately 25 individuals who have not found success with traditional OAT.
• Food and Nutrition Program Food as harm reduction program serving over 81,000 meals annually, with in-house dietitian and professional chef creating nutritionally balanced meals that serve as a gateway to clinical and therapeutic services.
• Mental Health Services Multi-disciplinary mental health support including The Creative Mind (art therapy), The Harmonious Mind (music therapy), and The Social Mind (recreation therapy), along with individual and group counselling.
• Aging Gay Men & HIV Program Evening program supporting gay men aged 50+ living with HIV, providing meals, art and music therapy, individual and group counselling, and access to clinical resources.
• Hep C Program Program tackling Hepatitis C through education, treatment support, and advocacy, leveraging new direct-acting antivirals available to all BC residents regardless of lifestyle or income.
• Frontline Solutions National capacity-building initiative providing mentorship, experiential training, knowledge translation, community of practice groups, and microgrants to support organizations caring for equity-seeking populations across Canada.
• Canoe Project Indigenous Harm Reduction project in collaboration with CAAN, providing culturally sensitive harm reduction practices and training to Indigenous communities nationally through a community of practice.
• PHAC2-NCB 5-year national capacity-building community of practice for harm reduction services, providing tailored training, customized learning opportunities, and experiential knowledge sharing.
• Stitch In: The Sidelined 2% A comprehensive guide outlining best practices, protocols, and strategies for service delivery and organizational enhancement for complex care sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of day-health participants in Intensive HIV medication support program attained a suppressed viral load
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CAAN Communities, Alliances & NetworksflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2023The Dr. Peter Centre collaborates with CAAN on the landmark 'Culture as Harm Reduction Knowledge Bundles' initiative — an Indigenous-led national project equipping organizations with culturally safe harm reduction tools. Also co-develops the Canoe Project, an Indigenous Harm Reduction National Community of Practice. The collaboration integrates Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Doing into harm reduction training and resources.
• BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership since 2012 for a CIHR-funded three-year mixed method evaluation of the Dr. Peter Centre's impact on healthcare access and outcomes for persons living with HIV who use illicit drugs.
• Vancouver Coastal HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2014, the Dr. Peter Centre, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, applied for a federal drug law exemption to continue providing supervised injection services — the first Canadian organization to do so since the 2011 Supreme Court Insite ruling.
• Ensemble (Moncton, New Brunswick)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Dr. Peter Centre's Knowledge Translation team provided extensive training to Ensemble in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and overdose prevention site setup. This led to Ensemble opening New Brunswick's first overdose prevention site on November 25, 2021.
• Prairie Harm Reduction (Saskatoon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership and experiential learning visits between the Dr. Peter Centre's KT team and Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, including shadowing at supervised consumption sites and connecting with local drug user networks.
• RBC Wealth Management PH&N Investment CounselflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRBC Wealth Management PH&N Investment Counsel is the title sponsor of the annual Life Commitment Gala (2026 = 17th year). RBC has provided support to the Dr. Peter Centre for over 28 years including Art, Music and Recreation Therapy funding and the capital campaign for the current building.
• ScotiabankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerScotiabank has been the presenting sponsor of the annual Passions Gala for over 10 years, contributing generously to the programs and services of the Dr. Peter Centre.
• TD Bank GroupflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTD Bank Group was the presenting sponsor of the 14th annual Pride Cocktail Kickoff 2025, which raised over $150,000 for the Day Health Program.
• AbbVieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAbbVie provides sponsorship for the Hepatitis C Program at the Dr. Peter Centre, supporting education and awareness efforts for hep C treatment among marginalized populations.
• Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAPUD participated in a joint visit with the Dr. Peter Centre KT team to Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, presenting on the importance of drug user networks, safe supply, and collaboration between harm reduction services and people who use drugs.
• National Safer Supply Community of Practice (NSS-CoP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSS-CoP joined the Dr. Peter Centre KT team on a visit to Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, contributing to knowledge exchange on safer supply initiatives.
• Insite / Portland Hotel SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dr. Peter Centre was granted intervener status at the BC Supreme Court (2008) and Supreme Court of Canada (2011) in Insite's appeal to continue providing supervised consumption services, demonstrating shared advocacy for harm reduction policy.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Casey House: Toronto-based specialty hospital providing care for people living with HIV/AIDS, including complex care and mental health/addiction services. Most directly comparable Canadian peer; awarded the Casey Award to Dr. Peter Centre in 2013 and 2025.
• PHS Community Services Society: Vancouver-based nonprofit operating Insite (North America's first supervised injection site) and Portland Hotel supportive housing. Operates a closely comparable harm reduction + supportive housing model in the same city.
• Lookout Housing and Health Society: Lower Mainland nonprofit providing housing, harm reduction, and health services to people experiencing homelessness, mental health, and substance use challenges — overlapping Day Health and supportive housing mandates.
• AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM): Montreal-based community organization providing direct services, prevention, and psychosocial support to people living with HIV/AIDS — direct peer in HIV-focused community care delivery.

Regional players

• Inner City Health Associates (ICHA): Toronto-based nonprofit providing primary care, mental health, and harm reduction services to people experiencing homelessness. Comparable population focus but operates in Ontario rather than BC.
• Ottawa Inner City Health: Ottawa nonprofit providing managed alcohol program, supervised consumption services, and primary care to shelter clients. Comparable harm reduction + complex care model, different geography.
• Vancouver Native Health Society: Vancouver-based Indigenous health organization providing primary care, HIV/AIDS services, and harm reduction to Indigenous community members. Overlapping Indigenous Wellness and harm reduction programming in the same city.

Emerging players

• Prairie Harm Reduction: Saskatoon-based supervised consumption site and harm reduction organization that receives ongoing mentorship from Dr. Peter Centre's Knowledge Translation team. Emerging peer with overlapping mission.
• Ensemble Moncton: New Brunswick organization that received Dr. Peter Centre training to open the province's first overdose prevention site in November 2021. Emerging peer with harm reduction focus in a different province.

Others

• BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS: Research and treatment center partnered with Dr. Peter Centre on CIHR-funded HIV outcomes research. Not a direct service peer, but a key ecosystem partner for evaluation and knowledge translation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drpetercentre_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dr. Peter Centre