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Holyoke residents press council for public process on opioid-settlement spending and housing liaison
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Holyoke City Council to use a public process before allocating opioid-settlement funds and questioned plans to finance a homeless/housing liaison with those funds; the council president scheduled two community feedback forums for Sept. 8.
Several residents at the Sept. 2 Holyoke City Council meeting urged elected officials to use a public, community-driven process before committing opioid-settlement funds and to avoid using those funds to pay for a proposed homeless and housing liaison position.
The most pointed comments came from Nadia Schussler, who identified herself as a social worker, addiction researcher and harm-reduction advocate. “This man didn’t die because of an overdose. He died because he was alone, and there was no one there to revive him,” Schussler said, describing a recent local fatality. She urged the council to ensure decisions “truly reflect the needs and demands of the people most affected by this crisis,” and urged…
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