By Kolby R. LaMarche

The Burlington City Council Monday night unanimously accepted a $2.2 million state grant for the proposed Overdose Prevention Center (OPC), also known as a safe injection site.  

The Legislature included funding for the OPC in 2024 legislation. The funding comes from the state’s share of a large, multi-state settlement with an opioid manufacturer. 

The Council vote was in response to a report from Theresa Vezina, Special Assistant on Overdose Prevention Center (OPC) Implementation, regarding the city’s progress on establishing a pilot Overdose Prevention Center. 

The update asked the council for the acceptance of a grant from the Vermont Department of Health’s Division of Substance Use Programs for State Fiscal to develop and implement the OPC. The grant, totalling $2.2M, supports a fixed-site OPC in Burlington, authorized under Vermont Act 178, passed in 2024. 

Vezina reported that no site has yet been selected for the OPC. Though, the city has contracted a third-party evaluator to begin assessing the OPC’s services and which neighborhood may be best selected. She also outlined a community engagement process to determine the location, stating, “You will be seeing a well-rounded community engagement process.” Vezina specified that the process will include surveys, forums, and listening sessions. 

However, Vezina emphasized “a really big component of [the listening sessions] is education and awareness.” She added, “We’ll listen, but it’s really an opportunity to talk about strategies.”

Responding to this, Democrat Councilor Evan Litwin asked the city to remain open-minded to residents’ concerns, balancing “trying to dispel mythology but also being mindful that some of those will be very real concerns, concerns that need to be acknowledged.”  

Democrat Councilor Mark Barlow expressed his skepticism of the site and pressure on the city and its services. Barlow, head of the council’s Democratic caucus, shared that he believes homeless are drawn to Burlington for its services: “I can’t help but wonder if our problems grow because the response and resources don’t exist in other cities and towns and people are coming here.” 

Barlow’s comments caused reaction from some Progressives on the council. “I wasn’t going to speak…but I feel compelled by my colleague and friend,” Progressive Councilor Gene Bergman jumped in. “Don’t do anything [else] does not mean that people aren’t going to come here,” retorted Bergman. 

Progressive Councilor Carter Neubieser piled on, “You’re absolutely right. We disproportionately shoulder the burden on shelter beds.” He continued, “is the solution that we should start closing shelter beds? Because I think that is a ludicrous assertion.” 

The center aims to provide harm reduction services, including supervised consumption spaces, overdose reversal, treatment referrals, and health supports to reduce the risk of fatal overdoses and diseases like HIV and hepatitis. The city, as the primary grantee, is responsible for ensuring compliance with state guidelines and overseeing VCJR’s operations.

The grant requires the city to submit a detailed workplan and budget within 30 days of execution, conduct a service assessment within the first 12 months, and provide monthly reports for the first three months of operation, followed by quarterly reports thereafter. These reports will include data on participant numbers, deidentified demographics, overdoses reversed, emergency service calls, and referrals to other services, as mandated by 18 V.S.A. Sec. 4256(d). 

The data will be publicly posted on the city’s website annually by January 15, starting in 2026. The city must also submit critical incident reports within 48 hours of any event that significantly harms or risks the health, safety, or well-being of a person.

The memorandum detailed additional requirements, including quarterly financial reconciliation reports, programmatic site visits by the state, and compliance with Vermont’s Overdose Prevention Center Operating Guidelines. The city must ensure VCJR maintains approval from the Commissioner of Health for syringe services programs under state law. 

The grant, funded through the state’s Opioid Abatement Special Fund, allows a maximum expenditure of $2.2 million, with an initial payment of $520,000 upon execution, followed by seven quarterly payments of $240,000 through June 30, 2027.

The OPC initiative responds to the opioid crisis, which saw Chittenden County record an overdose death rate of 26.6 per 100,000 residents in 2024, per the Vermont Department of Health.