Engaging Communities News Archive

  • Virtual Summit Spotlights Community Safety Projects at NYCHA

    The NYCHA Journal

    “Each of these safety interventions was created by residents for residents as innovative solutions to addressing community safety,” says Danielle Brutus of the Center for Court Innovation on The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice virtual summit. Bringing together NYCHA resident leaders, local government officials, and policymakers to discuss how safety interventions can influence policy, 400 registered attendees heard panels and discussions on the legacy of the stop-and-frisk policy and “Physical Space as an Innovative Design and Policy Opportunity.” 

  • Outdoor Space Serves as Community Resources Hub for Stapleton Residents

    The NYCHA Journal

    The Stapleton Houses' Resource Hub initiative consists of five pop-up mobile kiosks near the development’s tennis court area. A product of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, the program is effectively operating a hub to connect the community to requested services, resources, and programming. Some key issues for Stapleton’s resident stakeholder team have included health and overall wellness, safety and justice, connection to resource information, as well as youth programming and development. 

  • Music Program Brings Bed-Stuy NYCHA Development Together

    The Brooklyn Eagle

    From Blocks to Beats is a 6-month music program that teaches youth how to make and perform music, in partnership with the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and Tompkins Houses. The program's first graduation event included 10 graduates and a night filled with powerful performances before a cheering audience. 

  • East Harlem Public Housing Residents Design Safety Improvements

    Patch.com

    Residents of the Wagner House are proposing for the expansion of social programming at the development, as part of their work with the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety. The proposal is dedicated to issues such as mental health, peer support, conflict resolution, restorative justice, and youth development. This resident-run initiative will transform a dilapidated lawn into a community gathering and event space featuring new planters, lawn furniture, a removable stage, a mural, and more.

  • Patterson Houses Anti-Crime Initiative Puts Faith in Green Spaces

    The Mott Haven Herald

    This article features the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and the Patterson Housing tenants—known as the NeighborhoodStat team— who have decided to invest in local gardens with the goal of increasing community engagement and collective efficacy. The article highlights James Reddick of the Center for Court Innovation, along with images of tenant and stakeholder, Eric Murray, taken in the Patterson garden.

  • Trying to Cut Crime in Public Housing by Making It More Livable

    The New York Times

    The Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and the Center for Court Innovation work to improve the environment in which people live, like better building maintenance, having access to necessary services, engaging in civic life, and the community coming together to collaboratively solve problems. The article quotes engagement coordinator, Karla Alonso, and highlights the Harlem Community Justice Center and St. Nicholas housing complex in photos.