Fighting Trump’s harm reduction cuts

Susan Ousterman remembers her son Tyler as quiet, curious and “with a smile that lit up the room.” He loved nature, skateboarding and was a talented percussionist. He also struggled with an opioid dependency, and by October 2020 was sleeping in his car.

“My son wanted more than anything to break free from his addiction, but we had no resources — none,” she told Salon. “He had just been robbed while sleeping in his car in Kensington [Philadelphia], and without a phone, he never got my message telling him to come home. Thankfully, he came anyway.”