It’s been about three months since the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor started an unusual pilot program: allowing a local harm reduction organization to operate syringe exchange services twice a week in the church building.
Leaders from both organizations, as well as people who have used the services, say the project has made it easier for community members to get clean supplies, medical care and other support. They also acknowledge it’s created challenges, including tension with some neighbors.
The experiment is one attempt to address the overlapping crises of homelessness, substance use disorder and an ongoing HIV outbreak, issues that remain front of mind for many Bangor residents as the city struggles to determine a long-term strategy to get people off the streets.
“I think at this point, there are many members who are very proud and energized by the public health successes. It’s also surfaced real concerns,” Zach Falcon, the church’s council chair, said.
The church at 120 Park St. in the city’s downtown has long had a partnership with the harm reduction group Needlepoint Sanctuary for its “Muffin Monday” and “Taco Tuesday” events, but the start of the six-month pilot in February marked the first time the congregation has allowed needle exchange services to be facilitated inside the church building.
Needlepoint Sanctuary also has an office on Ohio Street, although it’s harder for people to get there from downtown compared with the church. Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness is the only other syringe service provider in the city, offering needle exchange services at its office on Hancock Street.
The church’s location has made it much easier for people to access Needlepoint Sanctuary’s full range of services, according to program participant Tamara Mailman, but she added that its visibility has also prompted some negativity from the broader community.
Recent City Council meetings have drawn numerous residents who are frustrated with Bangor’s approach to homelessness. Some say they think city government and other local organizations have too much empathy for those struggling with homelessness and addiction to the point that it’s unproductive.
“What is the line between helping and enabling?” resident Tricia Quirk said during public comment at a recent meeting.
Quirk, a local real estate broker who owns the Tarratine Inn and the Tarratine Restaurant near the church, specifically noted concerns about needle exchange services being offered at the church, saying, “it is starting to affect the businesses downtown when people are cancelling appointments because the front of their business is littered with needles.”
Participants and advocates of the program say the public health benefits make it essential, especially as the HIV outbreak in Penobscot County continues to grow.
“That is how we combat this HIV outbreak,” Ellen Taraschi, a Maine Family Planning nurse practitioner who provides clinical services at Needlepoint Sanctuary events, said of the addition of syringe exchange services. “It’s a public good.”
Taraschi added that she’s seen more people coming in for services and met several new patients in the last few months, indicating that offering clean injection supplies has helped incentivize participation in other types of care. Maine Family Planning often brings a mobile unit to the church to provide prevention and treatment for HIV and substance use disorder, wound care and testing for HIV, hepatitis C and STIs.
Robert Stilphen, a program participant, said he thinks the pilot has helped curb HIV spread. In the past, “I’ve seen a whole room of people pass around needles,” he said — but he hasn’t seen much of that lately.
Since the pilot began in February, Needlepoint Sanctuary has had 852 service encounters at Park Street, given out 457 wound care kits and served more than 2,500 tacos, according to Willie Hurley, the group’s executive director. During that period, 133 overdoses have also been reversed with naloxone distributed from the church, he added.
Another program participant, Jennifer Marshall said she’s gotten HIV testing, hepatitis C treatment and PrEP, the medication that prevents HIV transmission, at the Park Street church.
Numerous people who visit the church weekly for services also emphasized its value as a safe space where they can go and be part of a community.
“A lot of us don’t have emotional support,” Mailman said. But when she spends a few hours at Taco Tuesday, she’s able to talk to people with similar experiences, including people who are in recovery.
The growing number of visitors this year has also brought new challenges.
“A success of this project is that it’s serving a lot of people. But a consequence of that is that there’s increased traffic,” Falcon said, which can be disruptive for nearby residents and businesses.
Falcon said congregation members are working with Needlepoint Sanctuary to address concerns as they come up, including issues with crowd control outside the building. Needlepoint Sanctuary staff now regularly go outside to keep foot traffic moving, he said.
The congregation will deliberate and vote in the early fall on whether to continue with the needle exchange program, he said. That decision-making process will involve evaluating data, but also considering how the project has affected the church, neighborhood and broader community.
