Needlepoint Sanctuary can now open its brick and mortar syringe service location after the Bangor City Council voted 6-2 Monday to rezone it.
The syringe service provider, one of two in Bangor, opened for just five days in July but shut down after learning that the building at 1009 Ohio St. wasn’t properly zoned for its services.
The organization garnered a strong show of support at Monday’s council meeting, which was so packed that some people had to stand. Nearly 30 community members, including public health workers, homeless residents and Needlepoint Sanctuary staff, spoke in favor of the zoning change during public comment.
The approval comes as new cases continue to be identified in the Penobscot County HIV outbreak and the city scrambles to ensure there is enough warming center space for homeless residents this winter — both issues that Needlepoint Sanctuary says its physical location can help combat.
The zoning change was recommended for approval at a Planning Board meeting last week and sent to the council for a final decision. The parcel was previously zoned as a neighborhood service district and is now a government and institutional service district.
The organization plans to offer syringe services as well as space for recovery meetings, for homeless community members to come inside, and connections to care for people affected by the HIV outbreak and substance use disorder in the new space.
“We are ready to get to work,” executive director Willie Hurley said during the meeting, noting that his organization provides a wide variety of services and has gotten 30 people in detox this year.
Hurley did not respond to a request for comment about what day the office will reopen.
Needlepoint Sanctuary has been offering some services at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Park Street but could not provide syringe services there.
Syringe service providers provide clean needles as well as testing and connections to medical treatment, among other services, to reduce the risk of overdose and infectious disease. Syringe service programs are proven to reduce HIV and hepatitis C transmission rates by around 50%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some community members have expressed discomfort with syringe exchange programs, including a few people who spoke at Monday’s meeting. Needlepoint Sanctuary struggled to find a standalone building that would suit the organization’s needs and prevent any friction with neighbors, Hurley has said.
When Needlepoint Sanctuary was first certified as a syringe service provider in March 2024, city officials expressed concerns about the group’s plans to offer mobile syringe services in public spaces like Pickering Square and Peirce Park. The new location on Ohio Street is further away from downtown, located between a gas station and a creek.
Councilors Michael Beck, Susan Deane, Susan Hawes, Joe Leonard, Dan Tremble and Rick Fournier voted in favor of the zoning change, while Councilors Carolyn Fish and Wayne Mallar voted against.
“We probably should not bury our heads in the sand and pretend that there isn’t an issue that needs to be addressed,” Tremble said before the vote. “We are in the middle of a crisis and we need the services that this organization provides.”
