Thank you to everyone who made the 7th Annual Hope Summit our most successful yet! This year’s event welcomed 72 friends, family, and partners to discuss the reactivation of the Livonia Ave corridor, in alignment with the Brownsville Plan. Dr. Tenya Blackwell from The Arthur Ashe Institute and Dr. Stephanie Furquhar from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) joined the members of the Livonia 4 Development Team to facilitate a conversation around health, housing, access, and racial equity,
What We Learned
The opening plenary, moderated by Shelevya Pearson, was able to bring to light the following issues:
- Ensure that any new housing that is built in Brownsville and on Livonia Ave includes mental health service offerings in an uninterrupted continuum—from children to seniors.
- Increase opportunities for social cohesion as a way to encourage community engagement and the healthy benefits of connectivity through the new buildings.
- Encourage innovative design solutions to connect people to greenery, and support the spiritual and healthy healing that comes with reconnecting to nature.
- Use the collective impact of this collaboration to disrupt the systems that continue to permit structural racism to persist in communities of color such as Brownsville.
- Build on the benefits of stable quality housing to drive results on impacting the Social Determinants of Health.
Our Commitment
- The Brownsville Partnership is committed to preserving the words that were exchanged at this Hope Summit, as we strive to develop and cultivate new restorative environments along Livonia Ave and in Brownsville.
- The Brownsville Partnership aims to work with local partners in government, philanthropy, and non-profit sectors to outline a mental health roadmap for Brownsville access to the general public and made available to the Livonia 4 Development Team for its new programming array.
- Through the Brownsville Partnership’s new contact with The Arthur Ashe Institute, Enterprise Community Partners and CB16 “Call 2 Action” Health Committee, we are excited to stay in touch with relevant updates on the release of the new Health Action Plan for Brownsville, and the opportunity to integrate its findings into an adaptable framework for the new Livonia 4 Project.
Resources
NPR: Hidden Brain Podcast, “Our Better Nature,” (August 12); on the science and health benefits of connecting people with greenery and nature.
Mental Health Services for Children, Adolescents, Adults, and Seniors
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
24 hour Information & Referral Hotline: 1.888.NYC.WELL (1-888-692-9355)
A free, confidential helpline for New York City residents. The staff of trained mental health professionals help callers find mental health and substance abuse services. NYC Well is multilingual and multicultural.
- Services provided:
- Crisis intervention
- Supportive counseling
- Referrals and linkages to services
Brownsville MultiService Family Health Center
529 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212
718.345.5000
- Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-8pm | Sat 8:30am-4:30pm | Sun 10:30am – 2:30pm
- Accepts most major insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare
- Sliding Scale available based on family size and income
- Appointments can be made by phone or online
- Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, French
- Social & Mental Health Services provided:
- Behavioral Health
- Counseling Referrals
- Substance Abuse Assessment & Referral
- PCAP Applications
- HIV Pre/Post Testing & Counseling
Interborough Developmental and Consultation Center
921 East New York Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203
718.778.0485
- Hours: Sun-Thurs. 9am-10p | Fri. 9a-5p | Closed Saturday
- Canarsie Location: 9413 Flatlands Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11236 | 718.272.1600
- Accepts most major insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare
- Sliding Scale available based on family size and income
- Appointments can be made by phone only
- Languages Spoken: English, Yiddish, Spanish, Creole*
- Services provided:
- Children & Adolescent Therapy
- Adult Services
- Geriatric Services
- Home & Community Based Services
- Home Visiting Service
- Care Management
- School Programs
*Doctor who speaks these languages comes in every other Monday.
NYC Health + Hospitals Community Health Center
Gotham Health > East New York
2094 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11207
718-388-5889
- Hours: Mon-Thurs 8am-8pm | Fri 8:00am-6:00pm | Sat 8:00am-6:00pm
- Accepts all major insurances
- Sliding Scale
- Appointments by phone and online
- Services provided:
- In/Outpatient programs
- Emergency Psychiatric Services
- WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC)
- Substance Abuse and Dependence
