On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, the city of New Haven announced its plans for money it received from the National Opioid Settlement Fund.
The city had over $650,000 to allocate this round. Much of it was being funneled directly into community groups on the front lines of the opioid crisis.
One group getting a major cut of this round's funding is Fair Haven Community Health.
“From my office which is 20 feet down the hall, I witness drug deals on grand avenue, its not uncommon to find people in our bushes shooting up, its not uncommon for our maintenance staff to find needles in our parking lot,” Dr. Suzanne Lagarde of Fair Haven Community Health Care said.
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She notes the health center’s staff are no strangers to the opioid crisis playing out right in their backyard.
“Every few weeks, we learn of another death in our community,” Lagarde said.
According to city data in 2023, 115 New Haven community members died of overdoses. For reference, in the same year, the city saw 23 homicides.
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Data shows that 85% of those overdoses were linked to fentanyl according to the city.
“We need every cent, we need every dollar,” Attorney General William Tong said.
He, along with other city, state and community leaders announced the release of the funding allocated to fight the opioid crisis. The money is part of a multi-state settlement with opioid distributors.
“We wanted to be thoughtful about how we dispersed the money,” Maritza Bond with the New Haven Health Department said.
A total of $400,000 has been allocated to the Fair Haven community health centers to help fund their Harm Reduction Center. $75,000 is being allocated to Liberty Community Services for a harm reduction specialist position, and another $75,000 is set to go to Yale Clinical and Community Research for expanded drug testing services.
The city will also use a small amount of the funding to purchase more Narcan for distribution.
“The vision here is to help bring these services into a non-clinical environment, on the streets and on the Grand Avenue corridor,” Dr. Benjamin Oldfield with the Fair Haven Community Health Center said.
City leaders noted this funding though is only a small part, and the start of a years-long effort.
“This is seed money and we know when you plant seed and water It correctly it will flourish,” Bond said.
According to Tong, over the next 17 years, millions more will be available to cities and towns across the state, including New Haven, through a state allocation program.
