NEW HAVEN, Conn — Connecticut has begun to explore the idea of opening a safe consumption site, where people can use drugs under the supervision of professionals. New Haven leaders have expressed interest in the concept.
However, one democratic mayoral candidate believes the city is not going about it in the correct way. Tom Goldenberg, who is running against incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker, held a press conference to raise his concerns on Monday on Church St. in New Haven on Monday.
“I acknowledge first and foremost, that opioid addiction is a serious and complex challenge,” Goldenberg said. “I empathize with those that are struggling with addiction and I think that as a city state and country, we need to do more to address housing instability, to provide mental health services, and to provide addiction treatment.”
But Goldenberg said he does not agree with the actions that have been taken by the city. He said they’ve been talking about plans for the site via email since last September, which he got a hold of through FOIA requests.
“And I have looked through all 30 points and not in a single line did I see a single mention of community input,” Goldenberg said.
Mayor Justin Elicker said the city has been talking about the plans, but nothing is set in stone. He said are no official plans for this concept, no funding for it, no chosen site, and no partner in the process.
“This idea that there’s some conspiracy going on, is just not accurate,” Elicker said. He went on to say, “It’s unfortunate that you have another candidate that’s politicizing something that almost everyone has had some experience with a loved on being lost, a friend being lost, or themselves struggling with substance use disorder.”
Elicker said the community has to come together to work together to follow the science- based approaches to solve this crisis. Last year alone, Elicker said the city lost more than 120 people to fatal overdoses. So far this year, he said they have lost 40 people.
“We want to stop people from dying, and we can’t do that in the past because that is not working,” Elicker said.
If and when the city breaks out of the initial planning stages for this concept, Elicker said the community will be involved.
“What we would do is, understand all of the kind of different logistics around a certain model. And then we would work with nonprofits and other entities out there to say, ‘what are some potential sites?’ And then we engage the alder and engage the community in a conversation about whatever site might potentially be appropriate,” Elicker said.
However, Goldenberg said New Haven is not the place for a concept like this. He referenced an example of a different concept, entirely separate of the safe use idea, that’s had a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood. He said the methadone clinic on Congress Ave, which sits next to a school and a residential neighborhood, has caused problems for nearby residents.
“This is a repeated pattern of behavior. We’ve seen this in other elements of the city’s response to the opioid epidemic. We’ve seen the Congress Avenue location get worse and worse in terms of its quality-of-life incidents,” Goldenberg said.
Goldenberg said he raised that issue months ago, asking for an issue now.
However, Elicker said the city has a written agreement that that clinic will be moved to the old Gateway College site in Long Wharf.
In the meantime, Goldenberg said he did his own research on safe use sites, and visited the location in Harlem. He said the nearby businesses are suffering from their proximity to the site.
“People believe that we are saving lives, and because we are saving lives, we will do so at any cost,” Goldenberg said.
Goldenberg requested a public hearing from the board of alders. It will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m. at New Haven City Hall.
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