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Q&A
Council Member Salaam inquires about outreach workers in Harlem subway hubs
1:44:49
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143 sec
Council Member Yusef Salaam asks about the allocation of outreach workers in Harlem subway hubs, particularly at 125th Street. Commissioner Molly Wasow Park and Administrator Jocelyn Carter respond, explaining the flexible deployment of outreach teams based on data and 311 calls, rather than fixed assignments to specific stations.
- The executive plan added 35 outreach positions and $9 million for subway outreach.
- DHS has about 400 outreach workers in total, the largest such program in the country.
- Outreach teams rotate throughout the city, with assignments based on data from 311 calls and other sources.
Yusef Salaam
1:44:49
Thank you, chair, and good morning.
1:44:55
So the executive plan added 35 outreach positions and 9,000,000 for subway outreach.
1:45:03
How many of these outreach workers are stationed in Harlem subway hubs such as 120 Fifth Street?
1:45:09
You know Harlem has been a high contact area for unsheltered individuals.
1:45:13
How is DHS ensuring adequate coverage uptown?
Molly Wasow Park
1:45:17
Thank you councilmember.
1:45:18
I'm going to start and I'll pass to administrator Carter.
1:45:22
We work both with our contracted outreach providers and the DHS staff.
1:45:28
Generally individuals and whether it's contracted or DHS staff aren't assigned to one given station.
1:45:36
We have the largest outreach program in the country, but in total it is about 400 people.
1:45:41
So given the size and scope of New York City, we do move people around through the system.
1:45:48
But we look at data based what we hear from our outreach teams, what we see on three eleven, reports we get from other sources, and we make sure that we are directing resources to places that we know have a higher concentration, and certainly parts of East Harlem fall in that category.
1:46:08
But, Administrator Carter, would you like to add on?
Jocelyn Carter
1:46:10
Thank you, Commissioner.
1:46:12
Councilmember, to your question about being assigned, what we do with our outreach teams is that they are rotating throughout the city and throughout the boroughs.
1:46:21
And, in terms of the subways, we are based on data, based on three one one calls is where our outreach teams are assigned.
1:46:29
And so, we are looking at kind of the picture of the entire city.
1:46:33
We do have our Manhattan outreach teams that are in Manhattan throughout, and so if there is a influx of really where their outreach teams and members are needed, then we will be able to look at the data and have them go there.
1:46:48
You also three one one is one of the biggest drivers of where we're going to and so we're looking at that data to drive our teams around.
1:46:59
So that's how we get that.
Yusef Salaam
1:47:01
Yeah, definitely like some follow-up on specifically Harlem seeing that that hub is such a you know high highly challenging area.