Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) release:
Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) has reviewed the information released by the Eureka Police Department and takes their allegations very seriously. Staff and board members
are in the process of assessing our policies and procedures, evaluating staffing options to increase
safety, strengthen community ties and be the best neighbor we can be. Our mission has always
been centered in the belief that we must show up for our population, supporting the most
marginalized members of our community, and offering harm reduction services to those who need
them the most. We remain steadfastly committed to our mission.
Due to the pandemic, HACHR has been running on a skeleton crew. This has made providing
services challenging, but we are up to the task and taking measures to improve upon what is
working and making adjustments in our operations to close identified gaps. We have always
worked to monitor people while they are on premises to ensure compliance with important safety
rules. This is additionally important now to make sure social distancing and mask wearing are in
full effect.
We remain diligent in monitoring the behaviors of anyone on the premises and have never
condoned drug consumption or dealing on or near our property. Over the years, we have had to
limit or eliminate services to a handful of participants who have not complied with these rules,
and we will continue to do so. The accusations that HACHR staff has acted otherwise disturbs us,
and while we find the evidence presented to not support the allegation, we are committed to
putting additional measures in place to keep HACHR free from drug selling or use.
Immediate actions that HACHR is taking include:
Seeking funding to hire a staff person whose primary duty will be onsite monitoring of
activities and ensuring our participants are accountable to their agreements with HACHR.
Update our policies to more clearly state that: Any peers or employees who fail to adhere to HACHR policies will be released; Participants who break service agreements will lose access to HACHR services.
Increasing our presence on social media, updating our website, and communicating about
our services to the community more broadly.
HACHR has an open door policy. If you are interested in seeing how our organization operates,
we welcome you! Avail yourself of services if you need or want them. Come volunteer. Get to
know our people. We are all part of this place we call home.
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