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Belfast needle exchange to close after charity loses city-centre site
Extern said its Belfast needle exchange will shut Nov. 2 after losing Royal Avenue premises, moving to a reduced street-based service, BBC News NI reported.
- New headline Was: “Vulnerable at risk as 'life-saving' drug needle site closes”
- Our desk filed its story
A needle exchange in Belfast run by the charity Extern is due to close on Nov. 2 after the group loses its city-centre premises, BBC News NI reported1.
The service, on Royal Avenue, lets people who inject heroin or cocaine return used needles, receive clean equipment and reach health services, the report said1.
Extern said it will move to a significantly reduced street-based service after the site is redeveloped as part of the Belfast Stories project1.
The charity said it had searched for more than a year for another city-centre location, with help from Belfast City Council, the Public Health Agency, the Department of Health and landlords, but had not secured one1.
Mal Byrne, Extern's director of harm reduction and mental health services, said people who use the exchange would have nowhere to go until a space is found1.
Extern said nearly 20,000 used needles were returned at the premises last year and its outreach team removed more than 13,000 discarded needles from Belfast streets, about 20 percent more than in previous years1.
The charity warned that without a base, drug use and discarded needles may become more visible in the city centre1.
Independent councillor Paul McCusker said the closure puts people at greater risk and that he had asked the council to look at other sites1.
Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency told BBC News NI that local needle exchanges help reach people who inject drugs, who may otherwise lack sterile equipment and advice1.