Skip to main content

The Red Hook Responders

In February, the Red Hook Community Justice Center launched its newest program the Red Hook Responders.  The program responds to social service needs throughout the Red Hook community which remain post-Superstorm Sandy.  The Responders also build resiliency within the Red Hook community by making sure residents are better prepared for and have the resources necessary to recover from a disaster. Since its launch, the Red Hook community has quickly come to recognize our Responders by name, due to their consistent presence at local meetings and events. 

The Responders work towards this goal through a three-pronged approach to community resiliency.
Community Education
The Red Hook Responders develop and conduct educational workshops for the community. In collaboration with the Justice Center’s Housing Resource Center, the Responders have developed a workshop on repairs and housing court, which was presented to seniors at the Red Hook Senior Center, many of whom live in public housing. The workshop included role plays and round table discussions. Each participant went home with a better understanding of the repairs process and more empowered to effectively advocate for themselves. Following each presentation, the Responders met privately with participants to discuss their specific needs and offer further assistance.
 
Social Service Needs
The Red Hook Responders provide one-on-one case management to Red Hook residents in need of social, mental health, crisis management, educational, and employment services. When a Responder opens a case, the client can expect more than just a weekly meeting.  The Responder is available to meet their client wherever they feel the safest, be it in an office, home, or within the community.  By working with the whole person, the Responder ensures that each client determines their own priorities.  The goal is to educate and support clients in advocating for themselves, thereby increasing the community’s resiliency and capacity to make positive change. 
 
Disaster Response
The Red Hook Responders are also available to respond to disasters large and small. In the morning of March 30th, a fire tore through an apartment in the Red Hook Houses, leaving 11 people injured and one family displaced.  Within 24 hours, the Red Hook Responders went door-to-door throughout the building, speaking with residents and leaving information on where to get help.  Many reported to a number of trauma reactions following the fire.  The Responders were able to normalize these reactions and provide immediate psycho-education and trauma counseling. 
You can contact the Red Hook Responders at 718-923-8238. Or visit them at the Red Hook Community Justice Center at 88 Visitation Place, Brooklyn, NY 11231.
 
 
 
Alison Dieguez
Red Hook Responders Program Coordinator

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Supporting the Staten Island Youth Justice Center at "Inside/Outside Legislative Theatre" Performance

On June 4th, a group of the Red Hook Youth Court members and staff went to see the "Theater of the Oppressed NYC" performance at the New School. Before attending this event, the youth court members had no idea that anything like this went on! While there, we learned that 12 different legislative laws were changed through something called "Legislative Theatre." The audience members get to be "spect-actors," which is great because the actual audience members got to participate in the play themselves and share their ideas. The performances last night were put on by members of the Staten Island Youth Justice Center (part of the Center for Court Innovation Family). These two plays dealt with real life issues such as getting stopped for not paying your bus fare, arriving late to school and getting sent to the principal's office because of the "zero tolerance policy," getting into fights at school, not knowing one's rights, and being raciall...
97 comments
Read more

Peacemaking in Red Hook

Raymond Deal, Traditional Program Specialist, Shiprock District Court, Navajo Nation and Gloria Benally, Program Coordinator, Navajo Nation, train future Red Hook Peacemakers After an intensely trying period in Red Hook in the weeks following Hurricane Sandy, building, strenghtening, and healing relationships between residents and organizations has become crucial. This past weekend, we took a step towards preparing the neighborhood for the hard work ahead with a two-day workshop with peacemakers from the Navajo Nation for residents we are training to serve as peacemakers here in Red Hook. A new project from the Center for Court Innovation's Tribal Justice Exchange , peacemaking is a traditional Native American approach to justice. While the exact form peacemaking takes varies among tribes, it usually consists of one or more peacemakers—often community elders—who gently guide a conversation involving not only those directly involved in an offense or conflict but family ...
21 comments
Read more

Rent, Repairs, and Rights: A Guide to Housing Court for NYCHA Tenants

 Lillian Marshall, Tenant Association President of Red Hook West (left) and Naureen Rashid, Director of Court Operations Dorothy Shields, Tenant Association President of Red Hook East (Left) and Naureen Rashid, Director of Court Operations  Hon. Alex Calabrese, Presiding Judge of the Red Hook Community Justice Center   Graphic Designer Jenny Kutnow  Clara Amenyo from the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)  
64 comments
Read more