Denver needle exchange site searches for new home
Denver's Harm Reduction Action Center, which provides clean needles and drug pipes to people who use drugs, among other drug-related services, in the hope of preventing overdose deaths and the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, is looking for a new place to call home.
As of now, they're still in the process of searching for a new location - one that will serve as a permanent home. The center, located at 112 E. 8th Ave. has received $800,000 from the Denver Opioid Abatement Council, which decides how Denver spends its share of the national opioid settlement money, to help with the purchase of a building. They're hoping to have a deal done by the end of the year.
More than 100 people visit the Harm Reduction Action Center every morning.
"We're Colorado's largest public health agency that works specifically with people who inject drugs and people who smoke drugs, such as crack, meth, and fentanyl," said the center's executive director, Lisa Raville. "We're engaging folks today for a healthier and safer them."
HRAC - which provides clean needles and pipes as well as assistance with healthcare services - says overdose deaths in the city are on the rise. Even while the numbers nationally have dropped.
"All we've prioritized has been stigma, shame, incarceration, just say no and DARE. And all that's done is bring us here to the worst overdose crisis we've ever been in, with the most unregulated drug supply we've ever seen."
Raville says they've been part of the solution for more than 20 years, and after stops at multiple locations across the city, they're now looking for their forever home.
"We are looking at multiple locations around the city. We need to be where our folks are at, especially around major transportation. And you know, we're working very closely with the city and with the mayor's office and trying to make sure that this will be good for everybody."
Right now, they're up against the clock. The funding from the Opioid Abatement Council will expire at the end of the year, along with their lease. And while some city leaders have voiced their opinions on where and where not they should move, Raville says there's no reason for concern.
"You don't see the loitering and panhandling over here that people would assume because I don't have the luxury of doing that… and quite frankly, we're an award-winning neighborhood by the largest neighborhood association in town."
HRAC was given an award from the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association back in 2018 for creating a safe neighborhood. They also provide community cleanups and safe disposal of drug paraphernalia. However, its services also attract people who use drugs to the area, which leaves some people uneasy.
