East Harlem Community Safety Initiative

East Harlem is located in New York County. The catchment for this initiative ranges from 112th streets to 125th street going south to north. Going from east to west it extends from the East River to Third Avenue from 115th to 125th streets, and from the East River to Park Avenue from 112th to 115th streets to fully encompass Johnson Houses. The catchment straddles the 10029 and 10035 zip codes and falls within Manhattan’s Community District 11, which covers most of East Harlem. 

The project’s goals are to reduce violence and improve community safety and quality of life in the catchment. The project’s objectives will be to develop and implement a targeted, place-based, resident-driven public safety strategy; increase the use of data-driven and research-based strategies to reduce crime and increase safety; and build the capacity of the community and cross-sector partners to achieve sustainable safety improvements.

The New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and the Center are working together to ensure the sustainability of the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP’s) successes. The city has baselined some of the core MAP funding, which ensures continued city agency involvement by supporting the ongoing role of outreach staff in each of the target communities. The city has invested millions of dollars in improving lighting and other physical features on NYCHA campuses to help create safer environments. And to ensure sustainability, NStat is investing in a cadre of strong resident leaders to guide ongoing efforts, including training for team members in areas such as CPTED, community organizing, placemaking, and sustainability.
The Center’s in-house research department will lead the performance measure tracking components of the project to measure achievement of objectives: to create safer and more vibrant public spaces; to foster a credible peer-led movement that can have a positive influence on individuals at risk of violence; and to develop a network of services that can engage at-risk individuals. Staff will track the number of partnerships leveraged, number of young people identified and recruited to join credible messenger initiative, and number of restorative justice trainings conducted, among other to be determined measures. During the planning period, researchers will collaborate with project staff, cross-sector partners, the TTA provider, and other community stakeholders to finalize the evaluation plan (now complete). The project team will compile all data needed for the Performance Measure Tool, and reports will be submitted by the development department.