Community Partner Spotlight: Anything Helps
At RIA, we build lasting relationships that extend beyond a single project. We were excited to work with Anything Helps on a project with the Minnesota Department of Health — and have continued to collaborate on the Justice in Institutions for Black Women, Girls and Femmes statewide survey. We asked Val Floyd, their Vice Chair, to share more about their work and why they partner with RIA; here's what she said!
What would you want folks to know about you and/or your work/organization?
I would want folks to know:
Our mission, values, and roots: At Anything Helps MN, we believe in meeting people where they are. We serve people affected by the opioid epidemic, providing harm reduction, recovery support, and wrap-around care in a non-judgmental environment. Our drop-in center and syringe service programs illustrate that we prioritize dignity, safety, and respect for every person.
Our unique role and perspective: We are not just a service provider! We are a bridge between community members, grassroots experience, and systems (public health, policy, funding, etc). We see daily how stigma, policy gaps, racial inequities, and resource constraints affect people’s lives.
Our commitment to equity, especially for Black communities and women/femmes: We understand that addiction and overdose do not exist in a vacuum! They intersect with racial injustice, gender-based violence, social determinants of health, and systemic neglect. In our work, we center equity, cultural humility, and community leadership.
That we are accountable and listening: We want to learn from the people we serve; their voices and experiences must guide program design, advocacy, and systems change. Data and stories should not remain locked in reports! They should fuel action, resource shifts, policy change, and healing.
That partnership matters: We cannot do this alone. We depend on coalitions, alliances, shared power, and mutual support. That’s part of why we partnered with Research in Action: to strengthen and amplify the voices of Black women and girls in Minnesota and beyond.
“We cannot do this alone. We depend on coalitions, alliances, shared power, and mutual support. That’s part of why we partnered with Research in Action: to strengthen and amplify the voices of Black women and girls in Minnesota and beyond. ”
Why did you partner with us to support and promote the survey? Or why do you believe Black women, girls, and femmes should complete the survey?
Centering the unheard and under-represented voices: Historically, women — and especially Black women and girls — have been marginalized in research, public health, and policy discussions. Our experiences — especially around violence, trauma, healing, and resilience — often go unrecorded or undervalued. By partnering on this survey, we are helping create space where their stories, knowledge, and priorities are counted, respected, and used to inform change.
Data as a tool for advocacy and accountability: Surveys like this generate credible, community-grounded data that can be used to influence funding decisions, policy design, service delivery, and systems change. When people complete the survey, they’re contributing to evidence that can back demands for resources, better support, and safer, more responsive systems.
Building trust and legitimacy: For many in our communities, research has sometimes felt extractive or disempowering. But by partnering with an organization like Research in Action — who is committed to equity, to grounded research, to amplifying community wisdom — we help ensure the process is respectful, transparent, and rooted in real relationships. That helps with trust, participation, and meaningful outcomes.
Amplifying impact and reach: With our networks, community presence, and on-the-ground credibility, Anything Helps MN can help ensure that the survey reaches those who others might miss: for instance, people in harm reduction settings, and those experiencing unstable housing. This helps the survey have more depth, reach, and representation.
Healing, agency, and voice for participants: Completing the survey is more than giving data! it is an act of assertion: asserting your experience, your perspective, your trauma and resilience. It’s a way to contribute to collective memory, to help build a body of knowledge that affirms, honors, and compels change.
We’re so grateful for Anything Helps’ continued partnership and unique work in the community. Learn more and get involved at anythinghelpsmn.org