Belltown, Lake City proposed for ‘safe injection site’ locations

A Seattle city councilwoman said she has volunteered Seattle for two safe injection sites for heroin users in Seattle: one in Belltown and one in Lake City.

“The county was pretty specific about saying we’re not sure, outside of Seattle, who’s ready for it,” council member Sally Bagshaw said, referencing the King County Heroin Task Force’s recommendations in September. The task force recommended one site in Seattle and one in King County. “We raised our hands and said, ‘Then let us try two, let us pilot two.’ And maybe one down here one in North Seattle, as an example, because we do have the facilities and the place – one in Belltown, one in Lake City. We’re ready to go, but we need some help.”

Safe injection sites are designated clinics where people can use heroin legally.

Shea Saxe said he’s in favor of it but has specific concerns.

“I think the city absolutely needs it, but the neighborhood where the site is located must approve of it in order to mitigate the tensions which are sure to come,” he said.

Vancouver is home to the only safe injection site in North America, Insite. KIRO 7 visited earlier this year and saw how people receive clean supplies to shoot up under medical supervision, with access to social services. But we also found people using drugs right outside.

In Lake City, Rachel Guthrie, who works in social services in the neighborhood, was in favor of the sites.

“When you provide people with a safe space, and maybe with connections to resources for ending drug addiction if someone is choosing that, that’s a step in the right direction,” she said.

But that’s not convincing to Celia Martinez, who works in Belltown.

“I think it’s just going to increase crime,” she said. “I understand people need to get help, but I don’t think this is the best setting.”

At the Vancouver site, the manager said since opening in 2003, the overdose death rate in the area around the clinic has dropped 35 percent. But the clinic also estimates 15 to 20 percent of people using the site come from other parts of the country specifically for it.

It is unclear whether and how the public will get to weigh in on where the safe injection sites in Seattle might be located.

KIRO 7 contacted Bagshaw’s office multiple times throughout the week but did not receive any replies.

In Seattle, public overdoses are on the rise. Supporters say so-called safe injection sites are a way to combat the overdoses.

Overdoses are overloading Seattle Fire and diverting crews from other emergencies. Each call costs at least $2,000, costing taxpayers millions since 2014.