BCS Hosts Community Advisory Board Meeting

               

               On Wednesday, September 17^th, the Bronx Community Solutions’ Community Advisory Board met in the Bronx Criminal Courthouse. Present were representatives from the offices of the Bronx Borough President, Bronx District Attorney (Human Trafficking Division), Legal Aid Society, the Bronx Defenders, and The New York Police Department’s Bureau of Community Affairs. Also present was Veterans Affairs along with other Bronx Community Solutions partners Vertex and Bronx Life Recovery Center. The focus of this CAB meeting was to share with our partners the work that BCS has done in 2013.

            In 2013, almost 9,000 clients were referred to BCS with alternative sentencing mandates. Over 80% actually reported for intake which is a 78% increase from 2012. And 74% actually completed their court ordered mandates through BCS. BCS Adolescent Diversion Project (ADP) and our Mental Health Initiative had a 75% increase. Our AP8 (Human Trafficking Intervention Court) division also had a completion rate of 70%. BCS’s community service program saved the city over $478,000 and over 66,000 hours of work toward revitalization of neighborhoods across the Bronx.

            The star of the CAB meeting was Manual Larino and our DWI/DUI department, who in 2013 connected clients with providers such as Vertex and BLRC. Over 900 clients were referred for assessments and 85% of the clients successfully completed their mandated treatment. Kudos to Manuel and the DWI department! The BCS Community Advisory board will meet once again in six months and BCS looks forward to continuing to connecting with the Bronx community in this forum.

 

- Carmen Alcantara, Bronx Community Solutions Intern