David Dominguez practices administering naloxone to Jason Johansen during a harm reduction workshop Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at Social Spin. (Photo by Tony Gutiérrez/Cronkite News)

PHOENIX — When Le Roy Scott saw a man suffering from an opioid overdose and hyperventilating and rolling in the dirt, he knew he had to act fast.

“It (was) shocking to see someone in that state of mind. It was scary for me,” said Scott, who is the heat relief manager for Social Spin Foundation, a non-profit that services the Valley’s homeless community. “I had to save this man’s life by any means necessary, so I got the Narcan and sprayed it in his nostril, and two or three minutes later he was back.”

On a scorching hot afternoon at the foundation’s Phoenix facility, Scott shared his story with members of the unsheltered community during a training workshop that showed attendees how to administer naloxone, an antidote used to treat opioid overdoses.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is often carried by first responders and caregivers. Typically administered as a nasal spray, it takes about two to three minutes to take effect, and can block the impact of opioids for 30 to 90 minutes.

Social Spin, which also provides free laundry to community members in need, has offered a variety of workshops every Wednesday to its clients for two years. Topics include nutrition, vaccine hesitancy and how to apply for aid, in addition to harm reduction.

Le Roy Scott, heat relief manager at the Social Spin Foundation, shares his experience saving the life of somebody suffering an overdose using naloxone during a harm reduction workshop Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Photo by Tony Gutiérrez/Cronkite News)

“It equips them to say with confidence that, ‘I, as an everyday person living my life in the world, can do something if I suspect that somebody is in trouble or having an overdose,’” said Samantha Calvin, Social Spin director of education and social impact.

In addition to training community members about the benefits of using Narcan, Social Spin also offers incentives in the form of gift cards for people who attend its array of workshops.

“They educate us on different ways of getting help with the state or the city or government as far as assistance,” said David Dominguez, a client who lives in a car with his dog, a boxer named Alley. “We get gift cards from them at the end of the class, so we benefit off of that. I use it for gas, and we use it for food.”

The workshops can also provide a sense of camaraderie, Calvin said.

“We’ve had people who have attended every single workshop, never missing one for two years straight, which is pretty unheard of in the unsheltered community to have that long-term relationship with people,” Calvin said. “I’ve heard from others that they feel particularly welcomed here, so I think that’s what keeps people coming back.”

Social Spin began in 2017 as a free laundromat for its clients, with a goal of providing dignity through clean clothes. Since then, it has partnered with other non-profits that also use its Phoenix campus, such as Circle the City which provides healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County, and Trevor’s Vision, a Valley non-profit named after the child in the movie “Pay it Forward” that, among other services, provides free showers.

During the Social Spin workshop about the benefits and correct way to use Narcan, Dominguez cautioned his fellow attendees about purchasing “street weed.”

“Don’t buy the street weed because it’s tainted with fentanyl,” he told the class.

“I believe what people are telling me out there — street weed is not the same like it used to be back then,” he shared with Cronkite News.

Samantha Calvin, Social Spin director of education, leads a harm reduction workshop Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Photo by Tony Gutiérrez/Cronkite News)

Calvin also said opioid users can be protected from prosecution if they are trying to find help for someone else who is overdosing.

“Even if you are using substances as well, you cannot get in legal trouble for calling for help,” she said. “That same goes for if you’re somebody who’s just stepping in to help, and you are acting in good faith by administering Narcan, you cannot be penalized.”

Overdoses are particularly prevalent during the summer, Calvin said, when signs of overheating and overdosing can overlap. Because extreme heat and overdoses can cause excessive sweating, individuals experiencing both can increase their chances for dehydration. Signs of an overdose include failure to respond, slow breathing, blue lips and nails, cold or clammy skin and tiny pupils.

After the workshop, Social Spin team members distributed naloxone kits to attendees. Dominguez said attending the workshop has helped him be prepared.

“I’ve seen a few overdoses in front of me out there where I couldn’t help because I didn’t have the Narcan on me,” Dominguez said. “I feel like if anything was to happen as far as overdosing, I have the right medicines, I know how to proceed with somebody, I know how to do it. Whatever we learn from here we take with us.”