The Mott Haven/Port Morris neighborhood of the South Bronx, a diverse and vibrant community has survived decades of abandonment and neglect resulting in some of the highest rates of asthma, diabetes and obesity in the city, as well as the lowest performing schools. A network of grassroots, faith and neighborhood organizations have been integral in holding the Mott Haven/Port Morris community together with services providing programs targeting health, education and the arts. In recent years, several organizations have lost their space as landlords have raised their rents anticipating a wave of gentrification. These groups present impressive track records of community service and engagement, but lack some of the basic infrastructure such as space, to sustain effective programming.
More than five years ago, New York City shuttered Lincoln Recovery Center, a 28,000 square foot building located at 349 E. 140th Street. This historic facility, borne in 1970 from the community activism of courageous clinicians, the Young Lords and the Black Panthers in response to community needs, provided decades of holistic treatment for addiction using acupuncture and Reiki, along with counseling and a variety of other therapeutic and educational services. Now it sits abandoned.
We propose to revitalize the space, and WE NEED YOUR THOUGHTS & IDEAS! Please come and give us your input about how to best use this collective space. This will be the third of three envisioning sessions (first was with community organizations, second was with community youth, third will be with the full community.) Organizations already involved with this effort include: Upbeat NYC, Community Connections for Youth, Birthing Project, Mothers on the Move, South Bronx Unite, Rollin Together, Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, Cumpanis, Freedom Community Center, Friends of Brook Park, La Finca del Sur, Families United for Social and Educational Development, Vamos a la Peña del Bronx, Masa, Radical Health, South Bronx Farmers Market, United Playaz of New York, Young Urban Christians & Artists, and MLK Resource Center/SUNY ATTAIN.
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