Anonymous donations keep Sudbury’s supervised consumption site open for another month

Donors keep Sudbury consumption site open Anonymous donors have come through to fund another month of Sudbury’s supervised drug consumption site.

Anonymous donors have stepped forward to pay the cost of keeping Sudbury’s supervised drug consumption site open for the month of February.

Réseau ACCESS Network, which operates the site known as The Spot, announced the funding Monday afternoon.

Greater Sudbury paid for the site’s first year of operation at the Energy Court downtown as officials waited for a decision on provincial funding.

When the province froze that process late last year, Vale stepped forward with $75,000 to pay The Spot’s bills for the month of January as staff wait for the province to eventually make a decision.

“This vital extension comes at a pivotal time as the Sudbury community faces an unprecedented crisis of toxic, unregulated drugs,” Réseau ACCESS Network said in a news release.

“The importance of sustaining these life-saving services cannot be overstated. Providing a safe and supportive environment for people who use drugs is essential to reducing drug mortality in our community. The generosity of anonymous donors highlights the incredible spirit of solidarity within our community, showcasing a collective commitment to preserving a service that has proven to be a lifeline for many vulnerable individuals.”

“So we can count on February but past that, it's really uncertain. So on one hand you’re really grateful but there’s still a lot of uncertainty for staff and those who use the service moving forward,” Amber Fritz, manager of The Spot, told CTV's Amanda Hicks.

“I do think there are people in this town that do care about the lives of people that use drugs and care about harm reduction and about supervised consumption services and the important role they do play during a toxic drug poisoning crisis, so it was surprising because it was almost like, fingers crossed, hope it happens, and it happens, right?”

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