HACHR presents two year program report to council

Eureka., Ca-Tonight’s Eureka City Council meeting shined light on the divide between our community .This evening, residents against and for the presence of HACHR, or the Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction, showed up to the council meeting in large numbers.

Tonight was the long-awaited “needle exchange and harm reduction” two year program report.The meeting lasted several hours, with HACHR reporting that their programs prevented 76 overdoses, and that their return rate of syringes went up to 110.5% since they started it two years ago. HACHR took about a month to respond with this report, saying it took that long because of the nature of the exchange program, and threats received by their clients, staff, and board members. We hear now from some of those who were in attendance.

HACHR’s Executive Director, and founder, Brandie Wilson, did not want to go on camera, but told us off-camera that HACHR has been there for eureka during a time of crisis, and that their programs serve those who use, and don’t use needles. She says if HACHR was eliminated, those in need of information on support services would have a harder time finding it, and she speculates that you could see even more needle litter than there is now.