202 BROKLYN ENWS WWW.BROKLYN-SUSUA.ORG Government can be hard to navigate for any Brooklynite, with multiple layers of government and countless agencies to comprehend. For too many residents, even those with nowhere else to turn, reaching out for a helping hand can be quite intimidating. Borough President Adams understands this challenge well, and his Constituent Assistance Center (CAC) helps to meet the need. The CAC, located on the ground floor of Brooklyn Borough Hall to the right of where visitors enter the building, is a place where residents can request assistance, file a complaint, or ask a question. Borough President Adams’ team of liaisons, which also travels with him on occasion to events and town halls in order to connect with constituents in their communities, make the necessary contacts with various entities, including government agencies and private companies, to resolve a wide range of issues. The concerns that come through the CAC are reflective of those facing the borough as a whole. Of the more than 9,000 requests for assistance they have handled since the beginning of 2014, the most common topic has been housing matters, ranging from information on affordable units and construction concerns to public housing conditions and the availability of heat and hot water. Other frequent areas of focus are public safety, transportation, and senior services. There are countless stories of how the work of CAC staff has transformed lives across the borough. For example, one constituent that reached out asking for assistance with helping their young stepson into an alternative-toincarceration program is now receiving counseling and benefitting from fulltime employment. Additionally, when there was a severe quality-of-life issue related to particular stores selling K2, with drug users strung out on the corners and residents worried about their safety, Borough President Adams and his CAC worked with local elected officials and the 81st Precinct on a community outreach campaign to shut down the illegal operations. Beyond regular CAC office hours, Borough President Adams has created a series of free clinics that provide specialized assistance to Brooklynites. His One-on-One Assistance Clinic for instance, which has operated since March and is open for drop-in appointments on select Wednesdays, consolidates a range of popularly requested services for constituents through partnerships with government and nonprofit agencies. Attendees can access support for young people with disabilities, determine their citizenship qualification, get screened for social service benefits, initiate the application process for a reduced-fare MetroCard, resolve postal issues, as well as review their credit scores and reports. Another new service debuted at Brooklyn Borough Hall in March, thanks to the partnership of Borough President Adams and SCORE NYC, a non-profit Borough President Adams led local elected officials and community activists from Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick, as well as members of his Constituent Assistance Center (CAC), in distributing flyers warning residents about the dangers of K2, a synthetic drug designed to mimic the effects of marijuana, after dozens of people suffered overdoses near the intersection of Broadway and Myrtle Avenue. organization dedicated to providing entrepreneurs with free, confidential mentoring, workshops, and education on a largely volunteer basis. Their small business mentoring center is open on the ground floor of Brooklyn Borough Hall by appointment during weekday business hours. To date, more than 400 constituents have been assisted through appointments with successful business executives, including clients that are already in business as well as those seeking to start up new operations. FREE Legal Services for All has perhaps been the most popular constituent assistance program that Borough President Adams has launched at Brooklyn Borough Hall. In June of 2015, he first forged partnerships with the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and Brooklyn Legal Services NYC to offer free professional assistance to Brooklynites who want to claim their rights under the law but cannot afford to hire an attorney. This April, the clinic was expanded through collaboration with the Domestic Violence Project and the Veteran Advocacy Project of the Urban Justice Center, as well as Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT). Since the expansion of this by-appointment-only program, more than 300 individuals have requested appointments on a range of legal matters; areas of focus include domestic violence assistance, elder law, family law, foreclosure intervention and prevention, government benefits, housing issues, trusts and estates, as well as veterans services. “When people find themselves in a difficult situation and in need of a helping hand, Brooklyn Borough Hall is available to help connect them to meaningful solutions,” said Borough President Adams. “The partnerships between our attentive and caring team members and the communitybased organizations who volunteer their expertise are making a real difference in the lives of Brooklynites, particularly those who have been historically underserved by government.” Borough President Adams’ CAC is Photo Credit: Patrick Rheaume/Brooklyn BP’s Office open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 AM until 4:00 PM. Individuals can call (718) 802-3700 for appointments, and walk-ins are welcome. SCORE NYC appointments are available by calling (212) 264-4507 or by visiting newyorkcity.score.org. Anyone with questions or interest in making a FREE Legal Services for All appointment is asked to call (718) 802-3777; appointments are required, and walkins are allowed only based on availability. More information on all these programs, including schedules of new and ongoing services, is available at brooklyn-usa.org. Constituent Assistance in Action
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