Somerville moves forward with safe injection site plan despite legal questions

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Somerville is moving forward with its plan to open what would be the first safe injection site in Massachusetts despite questions over its legal status.

Somerville’s City Council just approved $10,000 in funding for external consultants to help open the site and $170,000 in funding for purchasing modular units for the site and future sites.

That’s on top of $827,000 already appropriated in the city’s 2024 fiscal year budget.

An exact timeline and location for the pioneer mobile site remain unclear.

A report commissioned by the city and prepared by Fenway Health suggests several city-owned parking lots in Davis Square and East Somerville as viable options.

“If the mayor wants it so bad, put it in the house next to her,” said Harry, who didn’t want to use his last name. “You got some extra money, put it in low-income housing.”

Earlier this year, a coalition of 16 mayors from the Greater Boston area urged Governor Maura Healey to explore and fund the use of safe injection sites.

The sites, also known as supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention centers, are places where people who inject, smoke or snort drugs would be monitored.

“I want it in my backyard because it will help clean up the neighborhood. There is nothing to worry about except the irrational fear,” said Bill Fried, who’s lived in Somerville for 44 years.

Fried spoke with Boston 25 News on behalf of SIFMA Now, a coalition of volunteers who have been pushing for supervised consumption sites for years.

They’ve been pointing to research that they say shows almost 200 safe consumption sites operating around the world are preventing fatal overdoses and saving lives.

“They save lives. They solve problems. They don’t cause problems,” added Fried.

Somerville is now working on a request for a proposal to purchase the modular unit for the site.

Two of these sites have already opened in New York City without clear state or federal approval.

The federal government hasn’t taken action on either of those sites thus far.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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