Haringey Council's Cabinet has approved a new contract for its substance misuse peer-led, harm reduction, and outreach service, with Bringing Unity Back Into the Community (BUBIC) set to lead the integrated service for an initial three-year period.
The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, ensures the uninterrupted continuation of essential support for individuals affected by substance misuse in the borough. The contract, valued at £1,475,421 for the initial three years, with an option to extend for a further 12 months, was awarded to BUBIC due to their proven effectiveness in reaching vulnerable individuals who may not engage with traditional services.
BUBIC's 'proven effectiveness' has been demonstrated through their model, delivered by trained recovery peers operating a dedicated day-and-night outreach team. This team actively supports individuals in known drug hotspots across the borough who are either not engaged with treatment or are at heightened risk of harm. Their presence during both day and night has identified significant previously unmet need, reaching residents who were not visible to treatment services or who felt most vulnerable outside standard service hours. Feedback from the community, including a community poll, highlighted the value of this provision and directly informed the expansion into night-time sessions. BUBIC has consistently delivered a high-performing and fully compliant service, meeting all objectives set out in the current grant agreement, and possesses deep community links, a trusted peer workforce, and specialised expertise.
BUBIC, a Black-led organisation with extensive experience and deep community links, will deliver the service from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029. The service model focuses on harm reduction and outreach in drug hotspots. While the meeting information notes that BUBIC's model includes 'harm reduction' and that the outreach team provides 'harm reduction advice', and that BUBIC distributes naloxone kits to help reduce the risk of fatal overdoses, specific details on other harm reduction strategies were not provided.
The council anticipates 'improved engagement, treatment retention, and recovery outcomes' from this new contract, as peer-led interventions are 'proven contributors to improved engagement, increased treatment retention, and enhanced recovery outcomes'.
The initial three-year contract for BUBIC's services is at a total cost of £1,475,421. There is an option to extend for a further period of up to 12 months, which would bring the total aggregated contract value to £1,967,228. The budget allocation for the optional extension period is therefore £501,807.
Cabinet also approved the commencement of a procurement exercise for the integrated service, ensuring compliance with the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, using Direct Award Process A. The decision is detailed in the Public reports pack 15th Sep 2026 18.30 Cabinet and the Decisions 15th Sep 2026 18.30 Cabinet.