PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Gia Mitcham, New York Policy Associate at Drug Policy Alliance
2:25:35
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Gia Mitcham from the Drug Policy Alliance testified about the importance of syringe service programs (SSPs) and harm reduction services in addressing the opioid crisis, particularly for marginalized and homeless communities. She emphasized the need for expanded drop-in spaces and wraparound services to provide essential support and care.
- Highlighted the alarming increase in homelessness in New York City and its connection to overdose deaths
- Stressed the critical role of SSPs in providing low-threshold care, hygiene facilities, and preventive services
- Called for more drop-in services and strengthened SSP infrastructure across the city, especially in the Bronx
Gia Mitcham
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I think this is a okay.
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Hello, and good afternoon, chairs and council members.
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Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
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My name is Gia Mitcham.
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I am the New York Policy Associate at the Drug Policy Alliance.
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Alliance.
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We are an advocacy organization working with grassroot groups and providers to address the harms of drug use and drug criminalization through health supports, social supports, and community well-being.
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We thank the city for its investments in syringe service programs and for prioritizing harm reduction services in its spending of opioid settlement dollars.
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Syringe service pro programs are essential, especially for historically marginalized and over policed communities, and provide much more than clean supplies and litter cleanup.
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Among the critical and community responsive services that SSPs provide are drop in spaces, bathrooms, and showers for our unhoused community members.
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A state comptroller report released this month highlights an alarming increase in homeless New York City residents, the number nearly doubling to 89,000 in the past 2 years.
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This means more of our neighbors with no access to shelter and no access to hygiene facilities.
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In this time period, overdose death rates have continued to climb for black and Latine people who are also experiencing the highest rates of homelessness, while overdose remained the leading cause of of people leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness.
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At drop in spaces, people can access safe supplies, testing, behavioral support, health support, and other forms of preventive care.
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SSPs play a key role in providing low threshold care and wraparound services, which help to address the harms caused by lack of housing, income, food, and healthcare.
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Each service offered, whether it's a warm meal, a shower, or a safe place to rest, is an immediate intervention, and it's also a vital part of wellness and stability.
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We need more of these services and spaces across the city.
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And in the Bronx, community members and elected officials in a number of neighborhoods are asking for more of them.
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By expanding access to drop in services and strengthening
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the infrastructure of SSPs,
Gia Mitcham
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we can create a stronger safety net for those left behind by traditional health and wellness systems.
2:27:50
We'll provide more details on these services and systems in our written testimony, but thank you.