The Church of Safe Injection office at 195 Main St. in Lewiston is seen Wednesday with a condemnation notice on the front door. (Courtesy of city of Lewiston)

LEWISTON — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has suspended the Church of Safe Injection’s certification as a syringe service provider after the organization’s home at 195 Main St. was condemned by city code enforcement earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the organization’s leadership is saying the city’s action is part of its continued targeting of the organization, and that the building’s issues were the result of an unauthorized break-in.

The city condemned the building Wednesday after police and code enforcement staff said they found several biohazard risks, including needles, unsecured sharps containers, fecal matter and evidence of unauthorized individuals sleeping in the basement. The state of the building also led staff to believe that it had been abandoned for months, with items “left as though operations had abruptly stopped.”

According to a copy of the notice of suspension from the Maine CDC, the suspension is based on several violations, including failing to appropriately notify the department of changes in its operations, including changes in operating hours, and “reports of an unsecured entrance to COSI’s operational site in Lewiston, which violates confidentiality and safety requirements” of a syringe service provider.

The notice says the Church of Safe Injection must demonstrate that it has resolved the violations with adequate documentation by Sept. 22 or the certification will be revoked.

Reached on Friday, Zoe Brokos, co-director of the organization, said securing the basement at 195 Main St. has been an issue in the past, and that people have been able to gain access through an adjacent office space that is vacant.

In a statement posted on social media Friday, the Church of Safe Injection said there were no biohazard materials found in any of the spaces rented by the organization, and that they have been working with property management to clean up the property and replace damaged locks.

The building is owned by PMM Realty Trust of Portland; the Church of Safe Injection is the sole renter. The organization opened there in 2022.

The status of its operation has been murky in recent months, with the organization having multiple temporary closures as a result of funding gaps. Multiple officials have also reported difficulty in getting in touch with the leadership to address concerns about needle waste and other disruptions to nearby downtown businesses.

Asked why officials had reason to believe the office had been abandoned for weeks, Brokos said they had to reduce hours in June, July and August due to “a drastic reduction in funding and a delay in our encumbered contract from the Maine CDC.”

Leaders of the Church of Safe Injection have also said the city’s condemnation of the property is the result of the city targeting the organization, and that the issues have been “exaggerated and sensationalized to portray it as a failure of COSI’s operations.”

We have all kinds of big feelings about the way in which our community partners jumped on the sensationalized bandwagon after the local media portrayed us as savage, filthy monsters, responsible for the choices of unhoused folks needing a safe place to sleep,” the organization said in a Facebook post Friday.

In response to the statement Friday, City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath said that “public health and safety” guided the decision to condemn the building, “and the conditions at the COSI office left no room for interpretation.”

“Our code officer found it to be the most extreme case of needle negligence, debris and fecal waste the city has witnessed,” he said. “We took the correct action, and the city will not hesitate to do so again if conditions threaten public safety and health.”

Under the condemnation notice, the property owner has 10 days to bring the building into full compliance with state and local codes or face penalties of up to $2,500 a day, as allowed under Maine statute.

In order to be in compliance, the property owner must show that the property was cleaned by a third party and provide proof of payment for services rendered. Also, a follow-up inspection must be conducted by city code enforcement.

However, even if the condemned status is lifted, the organization cannot operate without first addressing its violations with the Maine CDC to have its certification restored.

With Lewiston in the middle of discussions on a proposed ordinance regulating needle exchange programs, the condemnation will likely impact deliberations and potential support for tougher regulations.

Most of the debate has been centered on shifting to a 1-to-1 needle exchange model, which the Maine CDC has opposed, as well as regulating where needle exchange services can operate.

In response to news of the condemnation this week, at least one city councilor said Lewiston should only allow one syringe service provider to operate.

Spurwink also operates a needle exchange working under a harm reduction model at 1155 Lisbon St.

Mayor Carl Sheline said Friday that “it’s clear that COSI has operational issues and cannot be considered a credible partner at this point,” but added, “this has been an unfortunate distraction from the real progress we have made in the fight against substance use over the years. The data is clear, harm reduction saves lives.”

Councilor Scott Harriman, who has also been supportive of harm reduction, said Friday that “it’s important to remember that we have another (syringe service provider) which has been operating very responsibly all along.”

He said while the ordinance will “add an important layer of local oversight,” officials should make sure it doesn’t “restrict trusted partners from continuing to provide the public health resources that keep our community safe.”

The Maine Recovery Action/Access Project, a harm reduction organization in Augusta, issued a statement Thursday condemning the Church of Safe Injection’s violations. The group said its failures are not reflective of the larger harm reduction community, which includes several organizations that are doing the work effectively.

“We want to be clear: this incident does not reflect the work of the many ethical, competent, and life-saving harm reduction organizations across Maine and beyond,” the statement said. “We stand firmly with these organizations, and with the individuals and families whose lives depend on access to safe, compassionate care. We call on COSI’s leadership to take immediate corrective action, and on the Maine CDC to hold syringe service programs accountable to meeting established best practices, including but not limited to the suspension of certification.”