In response to the ongoing concerns about drug use/sales and general quality-of-life issues along 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals and Bellevue Hospital to introduce resources to address these problem areas.
According to a news advisory from Rivera's office:
The Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) unit is a dedicated team consisting of a physician, addiction counselor, social worker, and community health worker. They work together in the field, engaging with known patients and connecting people in need to comprehensive services.They are equipped to offer on-the-spot services while facilitating connections to primary care, substance use treatment, and other social services. The team plans to visit the area on a weekly basis, establishing a usual presence in the community.With a focus on medical support, harm reduction, and social services, the team will connect with individuals experiencing homelessness, addressing immediate needs, and connecting them to an array of available services.
This 14th Street corridor has long been a concern for residents (here and here, for instance). In June, the deteriorating conditions prompted 787 Coffee to shut its doors between First Avenue and Second Avenue.NYC Council Member @CMCarlinaRivera thanked our Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) program as they provided services on E 14th Street. The roving team, which includes a physician & addiction counselor, connects unsheltered patients to medical care & other services. pic.twitter.com/JZ6TieK3GU
— NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue (@BellevueHosp) August 4, 2023
The chainlet's management said the 14th Street outpost suffered five break-ins in four weeks before the closure. In addition, 787 said some customers sitting outside were assaulted the week before the closing. "We make coffee as an excuse to connect, to collaborate, to create… but when we are afraid to even go to work, it defeats our values, our DNA," they said.
More from Rivera's office:
Historically, this intersection has been a focal point for illicit street vendors peddling subpar goods and intimidating passersby. Our office has worked with DSNY and DCWP to address those concerns. Recently, the area has become a gathering spot for individuals experiencing homelessness or struggling with mental health challenges.Residents have brought numerous complaints to our attention including concerns pertaining to individuals frequently found sleeping on the sidewalks, engaging in the noticeable use of drugs, and exhibiting instances of aggressive and or violent behavior toward others. Our office takes these concerns seriously and is actively working toward addressing and resolving these issues.
In a statement, Rivera said:
"Underinvestment in mental health has created a situation where too many New Yorkers in need of mental health care are unhoused, unemployed, and involved with the criminal legal system. This has led to significant concerns about quality of life and public safety, and the well-being of everyone in our communities. We are all too aware of the persistent structural issues that perpetuate inequities in the healthcare system where historically marginalized communities and the most vulnerable New Yorkers are less likely to be connected with the care they need."
In a series of tweets last month, residents pointed out the drug sales outside 418 E. 14th St., adjacent to the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
"illicit street vendors peddling subpar goods" - Some of them are just cleaning up the community fridges on 12th & 1st and on 9th & B, and selling those goods on the sidewalk. That's happening for 3 years now, and we have plenty of pictures and videos to prove that.
ReplyDeleteLet’s revisit in 6 weeks to see if there’s improvement — or if folks just shifted to 13th
ReplyDeleteThe police and organizations like this literally just play tag with the homeless until one of them gives up for a few months.
DeleteSo when can the police start arresting people for selling illegal goods and forcing the addicts to get help if they won’t take it…? Need to add both to make this work, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a problem for at least 3-4 years and Carlina has done nothing until now. I know for a fact that institutions and people in her district had to get help from the Councilmember whose district starts on the north side of 14th, which led to some enforcement that reduced the volume of illegal vending between First and A. It’s nice that some social service resources are now being applied but I agree with 8:13 that enforcement is also part of the picture.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the food pantries (5:47 am commenter), because of this I stopped long ago putting packaged goods in the pantry, and switched to home-baked items (clearly labeled etc) that I hope would be less marketable. But I don’t really know. It’s a disincentive to participate for sure.
It is stupefying that there is no way to hold accountable the Church of Immaculate Conception or the Diocese for what they have wrought on the neighborhood for over three years.
ReplyDeleteI am new to this. Please explain what the Church of the Immaculate Conception has to do with this.
DeleteLet me know when Rivera actually gets any real results. In the meantime, you'll have to forgive my cynicism over her occasional photo-ops as harbingers of genuine, committed change.
ReplyDeletePeople are going to sleep on the sidewalks when they have nowhere else to go, but the cleaning out of the community fridges really gets up my nose. I mostly bring by produce now--figure it's less appealing to them.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, this is 5:47 AM.
DeleteUnfortunately, when I say cleaning out, I mean cleaning out. Nothing survives. Even if there're other people lining up behind them.
The only way for real neighborhood people to get anything, is to know the regular times certain restaurants, bakeries, and green market vendors are usually putting staff in.
Carlina's district extends as far north as the low 30s. So she is that Councilmember who covers the north side of 14th St.
ReplyDeleteStuyvesant Town is in the 4th Council district and is represented by Keith Powers. He the the councilmember from the north side of 14th Street that I was referring to.
DeleteThey're playing ping pong between the 9th & 13th NYPD precincts. Clean up the southeast corner (9th), and the people causing trouble walk up to the northeast corner (13th). It seems to take 4-6 weeks for each precinct to notice the issues are now in their jurisdiction.
ReplyDelete14th & 1st outside Empanada Mama was crazy early this morning. Also, most of the people reselling food pantry items are now outside CVS. (still in the bags from Holy Apostles in Chelsea)
The shelters are full up with migrants, so there are a lot of new faces on the streets, and we're living with all the violence and power struggles that follow.
Many of the illegal vendors have moved from 14th Street (between Avenue A and First Avenue) to First Avenue (between 14th and 15th Streets), outside the CVS. Hope that something will be done about them too.
ReplyDeleteThey just moved one block north and one block south. If front of CVS as mentioned and by Starbucks on 13th, in front of Starbucks on the island where that tree is at the “crossing space”. Also right behind the Y, the backside of the Y.
ReplyDeleteI was approached by a dealer on 14th and 1st last week as I walked to Trader Joes minding my own business. This guy took out a little bag of cocaine and a then a vile of some narcotic in broad daylight. I tried to ignore his advances but he became aggressive and followed me. I told him to F off and leave me alone. I then chose to cross the street further away after shopping to avoid him and the others. My nerves are rattled each time I have to walk by there. I can't imagine what one does when they have kids given this is a very serious safety issue. This shouldn't be acceptable or normalized. I fail to understand what Carlina can actually do with her empty promises.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have simply shifted. Nothing new. Bums me out.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually called the "SHOW" program? The irony, it kills. Not as fast as fentanyl, though. Snark aside, I hope this helps, but somehow I doubt enough resources will go into this to make a difference. Even if you have the cops come and force people into treatment, there's nowhere to send them. There aren't anywhere near enough beds available in rehab facilities and psych wards, to say nothing of mental health care staff, and many of these people need intensive psychiatric care AND drug rehab AND housing assistance. I don't see Carlina making that happen, even if she had the best intentions in the world and weren't doing this just for, well, SHOW.
ReplyDeleteThis approach is insane. It's quite obviously just lip service and sanctimonious crap... these organizations can show up everyday but it doesn't matter because the infrastructure is horrible. They make a good pitch but after the initial contact the level of hoop-jumping required of these people who have little patience for and little understanding of the rigamarole required of them in the next steps will go right back to the street. Often, these organizations just liason a person into a shelter situation and as most people know, the conditions in the shelters are almost always worse than the conditions on the street.
ReplyDelete