DPH briefed commission on planned Harm Reduction Therapy Center move to 21 Merlin Street; no objections at community meeting

The Department of Public Health presented a Prop I (good-neighbor) briefing on a proposed relocation and consolidation of the Harm Reduction Therapy Center to a single site at 21 Merlin Street.

Michelle Ruggles of the DPH business office explained that the relocation would consolidate clinical and administrative staff from two locations into a single 3,412-square-foot site to provide a home base for outreach teams working with people experiencing homelessness, transitional youth, and outpatient clients. The proposal was presented to the community at a required meeting on July 12, 2021; staff reported about 40 attendees and said questions were answered and no objections were raised.

Pat Denning, clinical and training director for the Harm Reduction Therapy Center, said the site would expand opportunities for in-person, longer treatment conversations that are harder to deliver in mobile outreach, and that the center intends to maintain mobile services and community partner locations while adding open-access on-site sessions and scheduled on-site times for outreach clients.

Ruggles noted that because the proposed move is funded through internal reallocation and no new contract is before the commission today, the item before the commission was informational and procedural under Prop I rather than a contract approval. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the mix of on-site services and outreach; Denning and staff said services will include both continued mobile outreach and increasing on-site availability for clients who need longer clinical sessions.

No formal action was taken by the commission at this meeting; staff said follow-up would occur as appropriate under DPH contracting and Prop I procedures.