Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference with leaders from the NYPD, DSNY, Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene to announce the new strategy.
The targeted program will take place on 14th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A to address what officials say is recent deterioration in the neighborhood.
The mayor said that area became a hot spot for drug use, homelessness, illegal vendors and a fatal stabbing in June.
The groups will work together to address a range of issues, including illegal vending, retail theft, substance use, the mental health crisis, unlicensed cannabis shops and scaffolding that drives quality-of-life issues.
Officials say specific individuals in the area will also be identified who may need connections to services like housing or medical care.
"When we came into office, we had a clear mission: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more affordable and livable, and the '14th Street Community Improvement Coalition' precisely addresses these concerns - enhancing quality of life and making the East Village safer," Adams said. "Our administration does not and will not tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes."
Adams said his administration is already seeing an impact and crime has dropped in both the 9th and 13th precincts. They say overall major crime has dropped 29.1% in the 9th Precinct year to date and it has dropped 6.8% year to date in the 13th Precinct.
To address further community concern, officials say they will:
- Conduct weekly NYPD operations to address encampments, vendors and people in need of assistance
- Assign a dedicated NYPD foot post to address quality-of-life issues and maintain a visible presence
- Affix mobile light fixtures for better visibility
- Service trash on all three DSNY shifts daily and address homeless encampments
- Deploy DSNY graffiti clean-up crews
- Ensure availability of mental health units and homeless service outreach teams to support people in need
New York City councilmember Carlina Rivera hopes there are better days ahead for 14th Street and the residents there.
"I think when you see the unique needs of this area, it's an intersection of transit, of of mental health needs, of people experiencing homelessness -- we need all the help we can get," Rivera said.
The 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition will also feature a $1 million investment for a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Center.
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