Syringe Access

Syringe Exchange Program

By 1990, syringe sharing among injection drug users had increased the spread of HIV/AIDS to crisis proportions in our community. Activists responded by handing out clean injection equipment to drug users who usually shared contaminated syringes.  At that time, strict New York drug paraphernalia laws made it difficult and costly to obtain clean syringes.

Activists reasoned that if drug users had easier access to clean syringes, the spread of HIV could be dramatically reduced.  This premise has been proven true, not only on the Lower East Side but also everywhere in the world that syringe exchange has been put into practice-from Europe to Russia to Southeast Asia.  It has also been proven conclusively that access to clean syringes does not in any way increase drug use.

At LESHRC, our syringe exchange program is still at the core of our work.  It is important for our needle exchange program to have a consistent presence in the community so people know they can rely on us.  Many people are in crisis and have limited number of places where they can go for help. 

Sterile needles, other supplies (e.g. tourniquets, cookers, bleach kits, safer sex supplies), and abscess prevention materials are available on a free and anonymous basis to registered participants of our program.

The Syringe Exchange at 25 Allen Street operates from:
Mon – Fri: 10am - 8pm
Sat: 10am - 5pm

Outreach "Walkabout"

While our location at 25 Allen Street is the focal point for agency services and activities, street outreach, or “Walkabout,” keeps us connected to the community and helps others to learn about the services we offer.

We visit specific locations on the Lower East Side and our staff and volunteers provide various services and materials such as syringe exchange, educational materials, safer sex supplies, abscess prevention, and food distribution. 

Our current "Walkabout" schedule is: 

LESHRC & Syringe Exchange

Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange Program

LESHRC is also proud to have a Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange Program. This initiative was created by the New York State Department of Health and empowers participants of our program to engage hard-to-reach and underserved populations and conduct syringe exchange within their own communities.

If you are interested in participating in our Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange Program please contact James Motley at (212) 226-6333 ext. 143 or email james@leshrc.org

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Harm Reduction Coalition: LESHRC Peers discussing Peer to Peer Delivered Exchange