Evaluation of the 2013-2014 Sex Work Action Project (SWAP) in Peterborough, Ontario

Description

By Ryne Evans and Brittany Reid, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: PARN; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Forensic Community-Based Research Project, The purpose of the present project was to evaluate the Sex Work Action Project (SWAP) that ran in Peterborough, Ontario from 2013-2014. The goal of SWAP was to improve the quality of life of street-level sex workers in Peterborough. This project aimed to determine the impact and value of SWAP, and to evaluate the strengths of the program and the improvements that could be made for a future program. Through reviews of relevant literature and similar programs in Canada, it was determined what is required and what makes a sex work support program sustainable and effective. Through in-depth interviews with front-line workers involved in SWAP, the strengths and the challenges of the program were discovered. It was confirmed that a program of this type would be a necessity in Peterborough, but there are notable areas of improvement that are needed for a future program to be successful, including better planning, organization of resources and funding. Combining this knowledge, the evaluation was summarized into a number of recommendations to improve a future sex work support program in Peterborough.