A Lending Hand In LM

By: Onike Brown

If there’s one thing the Downtown Alliance takes seriously, it is the quality of life of our constituents. In that spirit, we have been offering supplemental homeless outreach services in the district since 1995. For the past eight years, the Alliance has partnered with Trinity Church to engage the Bowery Residents Committee (BRC) to lend a helping hand to Lower Manhattan’s homeless.

Not only do our Public Safety officers work 24/7 to keep the district safe, they also identify and inspect homeless hotspots regularly. Through our officer referrals and their own canvassing, BRC is able to engage homeless individuals, inform them of opportunities available to them, and encourage them to accept services and find placements. Services and placements are tailored to the individual’s needs and can include safe haven, stabilization beds, public and private shelters, drop-in centers, and hospitals. Last year, BRC made an average of 64 unique contacts each month. Over the course of the entire year, 154 people accepted services and 43 accepted placements.