BRICS - Center for Ethics Education

Funded by Fordham University's Bronx Research Institute for Community Solutions (BRICS), this project will combine community based research with data analysis to better understand causes and patterns of public drug use in and around East Tremont’s Echo Park, and also answer the question: how can residents of East Tremont share space with community members engaging in public drug use in and around Echo Park?

Some residents of the neighborhood feel unable to enjoy their community park because of public drug use and encampments, yet unhoused and marginally housed community members rely on the park for shelter and autonomy as they navigate homelessness, drug use, and insufficient access to services and supports. By answering these questions, we hope to develop a community-based solution that revives Echo Park as a shared space within the neighborhood while being inclusive of housed and unhoused community members.

Project Team:

• Drug Policy Alliance
• The Friends of Echo Park
• The Center for Ethics Education