Dear Editor: The housing crisis in Dane County is a public health emergency, but we cannot ignore the pincer movement currently crushing our most vulnerable neighbors.
While we fight for roofs over heads, we are watching a coordinated assault on the very harm reduction services that keep people alive long enough to find a home.
At the federal level, we’ve witnessed a chaotic attempt to phase out billions in SAMHSA grants — funding that acts as a literal lifeline for addiction and mental health services.
Closer to home, the progress we’ve fought for is being “hacked away” by bureaucracy. The recent collapse of the proposed harm reduction center has left a gaping hole in our community’s safety net. While officials cite procedural flaws and zoning technicalities, the reality is that every day we wait for a “perfect” plan, people are dying on our streets from preventable overdoses.
Dane County leadership has heard from the people. We know the community’s wish: a system that prioritizes dignity-based care and meets people where they are. But you cannot have a healthy community if your approach to harm reduction is “not in my backyard.”
We need to stop treating addiction as a moral failing and start treating it as a medical reality. The county has the opioid settlement funds and a clear public mandate to act. It’s time to bypass the red tape, fast-track a new provider, and protect the harm reduction hubs our community is crying out for. Make it happen. Hear the people.
Rick Rose
Madison
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