Author Archives: Jeannette

Know Your Community : Twenty-one Questions

1. 11220

2. Sunset Park

3. Community Board 7 – Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace

The purpose of Community Board 7 is to meet once a week to determine the community’s response to citywide issues or make choices on local issues . The board works with local city agencies to direct them to local problem areas and produces an annual report on the neighborhood’s needs and votes to determine our priorities within the city budget. the board has also taken on the redevelopment of the waterfront throughout 197-A Committee and helps coordinate and improve local services through the district service cabinet.

4. President of the Community Board- Daniel Murphy

5.District Manager- Jeremy Laufer

6.New York City Council Member- Carlos Menchaca District 38. Menchaca serves the Redhook , Sunset Park, Gowanus, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Greenwood Heights communities. He serves on the Immigration Committee in the city council and the following committees …Recovery & Resiliency, Small Businesses, Standards & Ethics, General Welfare and the Transportation Committee.

7. New York State Assembly Member- Felix Ortiz

8.New York State Senator- Diane Savino

9. U.S. Senators – Kirsten E. Gillibrand & Charles Schumer

10. U.S Congressional Representative – Democrat Nydia Velazquez

11. Sunset Park Demopgrphics- Population 85,082 , Male population- 43,795, Female population – 41,302, Median Age of Sunset Park- males 30.5 years of age and female 33.6 yrs of age, Race – Hispanic 50%, Asian 25 %, White 19%, Black 2%, Two Races 4%.

Education- Percentage of people 3yrs and older in k-12 schools- Sunset Park 22.7% vs. New York 16.9%.

Perecentage of people 3yrs or older in Undergraduate College –  Sunset Park 6.6 % vs. New York 6.6%.

Graduate school of Professional School – Sunset Park 4.2% vs. New York 1.7%.

Percentage of kids in Private school grades k-12-  Sunset Park 59.8 %.

Household Income- Median household income in 2011- Sunset Park – 39, 650 vs. New York 55,246.

12.Health Status of Sunset Park- Residents- every 1 in 5 adults are obese , Sunset Park 20% Brooklyn 23% New York City 20%.

Cancer screening- low.

Cancer deaths – Sunset Park est. 160 per 100,000 residents vs. New York 180 per 100,000 residents.

Death rate due to HIV – Sunset Park lower than those in Brooklyn and New York.

Immunizations-  Sunset Park falls lower than the TCNY target.

Psychological Distress- Sunset Park –  1 in every 4 adults suffer from serious psychological distress.

Hospitalizations- Mental Illness lower .

HIV –  Sunset Park 1 in every 5 residents has had an HIV test in the past year.

HIV deaths – Sunset Park has decreased dramatically in the past 10 years. 1995 50 deaths per 100,000 people vs. 2008 12 per 100,000 people.

Asthma- Sunset Park 1 in every 20 adults suffers from asthma.

Infant Mortality – deaths per 1000 live births -Sunset Park -7, Brooklyn- 7 , NYC- 7. Still higher than the TCNY target of 5.

Health insurance – Sunset Park residents 38% vs. 73% insured . Leaving the 38 % highly unlikely to having a primary care physician. Foreign Born residents that are uninsured 27%, and foreign residents born in U.S. 13% uninsured.

13.Crime Stats – Sunset Park 1990. Vs. 2013

murder- 24 vs.5

Rape- 22 vs.22

Robbery- 1,035 vs. 232

Fel. Assault – 481 vs. 206

Burglary- 1,645 vs. 177

Gr Larceny- 577 vs. 437

G.L.A – 1,602 vs.127

Total : 1990- 5,386 vs. 2013 -1,206

14. Educational & Cultural resources – Public Schools, Libraries, No museums, Movie theatre easily accessible.

15. Recreational Resources- Parks, Community Pool, YMCA near by, Sports Center, Gyms.

16.Religious and Spiritual Institutions- Churches of different religious backgrounds.

17.Financial and Business Institutions- Multiple banks, drug stores both mom and pop as well as corporations of pharmacies, Supermarkets,Travel Agencies, Real Estate agencies, Convenient stores open late, Check Cashing places open 24 hrs.

18. The Infrastructure of the Community- Sunset Park is mostly occupied by buildings, roads and highways are easily accesible and are in need of re-pavement. Roads and highways are under construction for way too long. There are benches being put in store fronta and in front of banks to engance the community. Traffic lights are in place in high traffic areas. Air quality is poor due to car pollution and environmental pollution as well as industrial pollution .

19. Three of the Community’s strengths :

A. Public Schools

B.Hospitals

C. After school Child Care Centers

20. Three issues of concern :

A. Health

B. Enviromental Cleanliness

C. Food Nutrition

21.Human service professional have a duty to the community in regards to addressing issues of concern , advocating, developing, fortifying and maintaining a healthy community,  deep within and around their commnunities . If your choice is to join this field then it is your responsibility to know what it involves and the duties that come with the profession. If in fact you know what comes with it then you are taking an oath to uphold the needs of others ethically and have a concern for the necessities of the community you serve.