In addition to clean needles, the exchange provided a wound-dressing service and advised the vulnerable about accessing temporary accommodation and healthcare.
“Loss of a premises means people who need support to reduce harms from substance use have nowhere to go to access life-saving harm reduction advice and interventions, healthcare support and wider practical assistance,” Byrne said.
“This is a life-saving service. This work will be suspended.”
The forthcoming closure is happening at a time when cocaine use is believed to be on the rise in Belfast city centre, according to Extern.
“We suspect that there are between 1,000 and 1,500 people at any one-time experiencing difficulties with their drug use,” the charity said.
“Last year alone, almost 20,000 used needles were safely returned by individuals who came to the premises on Royal Avenue,” it added.
“Extern’s city centre outreach team removed more than 13,000 discarded needles from Belfast’s streets.
“This is an increase of roughly 20% from previous years.”
A service user said going to the exchange was not just about exchanging needles but also the people who work there.
“Over the last number of years, I’ve built up a bond with a couple of the workers,” they said.
Adding that there are days when they go in “feeling very low, not going in to use equipment, but just to go in to get a chat”.
Speaking about the impact the closure will have on their mental health they described their lifestyle as lonely and isolating and said the people at Extern “become like family”.
“You kind of hold them close, it will have a big impact with our mental health with this going.”
