Eureka City Council to hear from HACHR on two year program review

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM) – Eureka City Council is slated to hear from the organization at the center of blame for Eureka’s needle waste issue.

At their upcoming meeting Tuesday, Eureka councilmembers and the public will hear from the Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction, or HACHR, on the topic of their 2 year program review.

The meeting is expected to be somewhat tense, as HACHR has received complaints from community members for contributing to needle waste in city streets, as a result of their syringe needle exchange program.

Details on that program is on the agenda for Tuesday’s report.

When HACHR was cleared to start the program in 2016, that year they distributed 240,189 needles, and received 193,867 in return, or about an 81% return rate.

In 2017, that return rate went up to 86.5%.

Redwood News will bring you more details from the upcoming council meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6PM at Eureka City Hall.