The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Opioid Services Unit is issuing this RFP. The Harm Reduction Center will be funded by the CT Opioid Settlement to establish one (1) Harm Reduction Center in Bridgeport to: (1) operate a stigma-free and low barrier drop-in center for individuals who use drugs; without requiring abstinence or an expressed desire for treatment as a prerequisite to access; (2) increase engagement between providers of treatment and recovery services, health care and social services and persons seeking such supports, (3) provide and/or collaborate with existing area outreach efforts to support individuals who are at risk for an opioid overdose; (4) build relationships with medical first responders and local law enforcement who interact with individuals at risk of overdose; and (5) make naloxone and other harm reduction related materials available to those using the Harm Reduction Center(s), (6) provide education and support related to infectious diseases and the risks associated with contaminated drug equipment. In the midst of a national and statewide opioid overdose crisis, this project will support targeted efforts to increase support for individuals in active use by creating a welcoming space for individuals to access. Interactions between these individuals and the Harm Reduction Center will thereby increase the capacity for connections to community-based recovery supports and treatment options while decreasing negative outcomes associated with opioid and drug use such fatal and non-fatal overdose. The community identified through data and service analyses as currently having the highest level of need for a Harm Reduction Center is the City of Bridgeport. The Department of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHAS) currently supports three Harm Reduction Centers with funding in New Haven, New London, Hartford and Waterbury, which are CT’s communities with the highest known fatal overdose rates Bridgeport, the municipality with the next highest known fatal overdose rates.) The Department is soliciting proposals to establish and operate one (1) “Harm Reduction Center” in the following target area City of Bridgeport
