Fondation ABS

What Fondation ABS does

Fondation ABS is a Swiss non-profit foundation headquartered in Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, operating since 1999 (formalized as a foundation in 2003) to deliver low-threshold harm reduction services for people with problematic drug use. Its service device comprises four integrated structures: Le Passage, a daytime drop-in center with an embedded Secure Consumption Space (ECS du Vallon, opened 2018) providing meals, showers, social support, and supervised consumption; L'Antenne ECS, a second secure consumption space opened in May 2024 at Place de la Riponne as a one-year pilot under Ville de Lausanne mandate; L'Échange Box, a 24/7 automated syringe exchange machine on Rue Bel-Air; and RDR-Travail de rue, a mobile street outreach team operating in central Lausanne Tuesday–Friday. A fifth legacy service, La Terrasse, operates seasonally as a winter reception space in partnership with CHUV's alcoology service.

The foundation's core technology is operational rather than digital: a harm reduction delivery framework combining physical safe consumption spaces, sterile equipment distribution, and street-level outreach. The EchangeBox is the only automated hardware component, dispensing sterile consumption kits via token exchange. There is no evidence of proprietary software platforms, AI/ML systems, or digital data products. Underlying partnerships with CHUV (clinical expertise, board interlocks), Unisanté (independent evaluation), GREA (professional network), and Rel'Aids/Fondation Mère Sofia/UNISET/SystemD (program delivery) provide the technical and medical scaffolding.

The business model is fundamentally a publicly funded mandate model. The Ville de Lausanne is the primary funder and mandate-issuing authority, contracting Fondation ABS to operate ECS, drop-in, and outreach services as pilot projects with formal evaluation (Unisanté for the Antenne ECS). A secondary revenue stream comprises individual and organizational donations channeled via Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. End-user services are free for beneficiaries, with nominal symbolic pricing on hot meals (3 CHF) and free breakfasts (except Thursdays). The operating footprint is exclusively Lausanne, with 17 employees, and a 25-year track record of measurable outcomes (267,706 Distribus contacts over 20 years; 60,000+ consumption episodes in the first year of Antenne ECS).

Name

Fondation ABS

Legal name

Fondation ABS

Website

https://fondationabs.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondation ABS is a Lausanne-based Swiss non-profit foundation delivering low-threshold harm reduction services — supervised consumption, syringe exchange, street outreach, and survival assistance — for people with problematic drug use, under public mandate from the Ville de Lausanne.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Harm Reduction Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Harm reduction services
• Supervised consumption spaces
• Needle exchange programs
• Street outreach services
• Addiction support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (Ville de Lausanne): Primary funding from the Ville de Lausanne for operating harm reduction services including Le Passage, L'Antenne ECS, and street outreach programs. Funded as pilot projects with evaluation by Unisanté.
2. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting harm reduction mission. Donations accepted via bank transfer to Banque Cantonale Vaudoise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fondation ABS operates an integrated network of harm reduction services in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its offerings include low-threshold drop-in reception, supervised consumption spaces, an automated needle/syringe exchange machine, street-based outreach, and ancillary programs (such as subsidized meals at 3 CHF) for people experiencing problematic psychoactive substance use and social precariousness.

Product overview

Fondation ABS operates a comprehensive harm reduction device comprising multiple interconnected services: Le Passage (primary low-threshold reception center with ECS at Place du Vallon 4), L'Antenne ECS (second secure consumption space at Place de la Riponne 10), L'Échange Box (24/7 automatic equipment exchange), and RDR-Travail de rue (street outreach team). These services work synergistically to provide social and health survival assistance, equipment distribution, supervised consumption facilities, and community outreach for people with problematic drug use. The organization has been active in Lausanne since 1999 and expanded significantly in 2024 with the opening of L'Antenne ECS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Le Passage

Quantifiable outcome

• 267,706 contacts with service users over 20 years of Distribus operation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UnisantécoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 27 May 2024Independent evaluation partner conducting interim assessment at 18 months and final evaluation after 3-year pilot phase of L'Antenne ECS project.
• Rel'ierminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2024Coordination partner for Support Don't Punish 2025 campaign in Lausanne. Part of the network of harm reduction organizations.
• SystemDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2024Partner in Ville de Lausanne's package of measures for people who use drugs, providing strengthened occupational activities.
• GREA (Groupement romand d'études des addictions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2023Swiss professional addiction network. Fondation ABS participated in and supports GREA's recommendations for addressing open drug scenes and comprehensive support for affected individuals. Collaborates on Support Don't Punish campaign.
• CHUV (Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018University hospital providing medical expertise. Prof. Yasser Khazaal (Médecin chef de la policlinique du service de médecine des addictions) serves on the Fondation ABS board.
• Rel'AidsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Collaborated on Distribus mobile syringe exchange project (2005). HIV/AIDS prevention organization.
• Fondation Mère SofiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partner in Distribus mobile project and current collaborator on Ville de Lausanne measures. Social integration foundation.
• UNISETminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partner organization in Distribus mobile syringe exchange project (2005). Part of the addiction services network.
• Fleur de PavéminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partner in Distribus mobile project (2005). Organization supporting marginalized populations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Aides: Major French harm reduction NGO operating needle exchange programs, outreach, and community-based support for people who use drugs — comparable mission and community-led model but operating across France rather than at city level.
• Suchthilfe Wien (Vienna Addiction Help): Vienna's integrated addiction service runs multiple low-threshold facilities including the Ganswirt consumption room, operating in a similar regulatory framework with comparable services but under Austrian rather than Swiss governance.

Direct peers

• Kontakt- und Anlaufstellen (KAS) Zürich: City-operated low-threshold contact points in Zurich offering needle exchange, consumption rooms, and survival assistance — comparable to Le Passage and the Antenne ECS in service design and population served.
• Quai 9 (Groupe Sida Genève): Quai 9 operates Geneva's primary supervised injection facility as part of a low-threshold harm reduction program — the closest Swiss peer in terms of supervised consumption services and street-outreach delivery model.
• ARUD: ARUD is a major Swiss harm reduction and addiction medicine provider in Zurich operating supervised consumption spaces, opioid substitution, and low-threshold services — directly comparable in mission, service mix, and target population to Fondation ABS in Lausanne.
• Contact Netz Bern: Contact Netz provides low-threshold drug work, a supervised consumption room (Cico), and outreach services in Bern — directly comparable to Fondation ABS in operating both consumption spaces and street outreach under municipal mandate.

Others

• Infodrog: Swiss national coordination office for addiction issues, providing information, evaluation frameworks, and policy support — the federal-level ecosystem counterpart to Fondation ABS's frontline operational role.
• GREA (Groupement romand d'études des addictions): Swiss professional network coordinating addiction and harm reduction organizations — listed as a core strategic partner of Fondation ABS and a sectoral umbrella that shapes policy and funding context for the foundation's work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-abs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fondation ABS