I grew up in the thirty hundred block of Lawrence street, just three blocks from the notorious “El Campamento.” Our neighborhood had – and still does – a vibrant culture: delicious food, colorful row homes, the ever-present sound of music blasting from car stereos. But, sadly, just as ubiquitous, was the devastating effects of drug trafficking: violence, abandoned homes, vacant lots, closed businesses, abandoned cars and, of course, El Campamento.   

Since my childhood, the grip of narcotics on El Barrio has only grown with the nationwide opioid crisis. For decades, people have been calling for the City to step-up and address this crisis, and, finally, I’m pleased to say it’s happening under our new mayor. I joined the Kenney administration in April, and, in my role, I am leading the first coordinated city effort to clean up Gurney Street. 

The city’s coordinated effort stretches across ten different departments:  License & Inspections, Streets, Community Life Improvement Programs (CLIP_, Office of Immigrant Affairs, Office of Homelessness Services, Police, Public Health, Parks & Recreation, Free Library, and Behavioral Health. We are also working in close partnership with community members, various state agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The City’s goal is to create a safe and healthy environment free from blight. This year alone, License & Inspections has spent over a half-million dollars to seal 41 properties, 68 properties abated, and 27 demolished in the Fairhill and west Kensington neighborhoods. Additionally, CLIP has removed graffiti from 17,000 vandalized properties, abated 21 lots and assisted with over a dozen community beautification neighborhood projects. In September, in an effort to improve safety, Streets added LED bulbs between 2^nd Street and Indiana through 2^nd and Kensington, which runs along the south side of the Conrail railroad. In November, street lights were also upgraded on the north side of the Conrail between 2^nd and Clearfield through Kensington and Tusculum Streets. 

In addition to these aesthetic improvements, the City’s Health and Human Services cabinet has focused on increasing and expanding services to individuals battling heroin and opioid addiction. These efforts include: access to treatment intake services 24/7, expanded NARCAN training and distribution, and expanded services for ID replacement. The Office of Homeless Services has also increased the number of winter beds available to homeless individuals in that areas, and they have also added 50 new Housing First slots, which provides immediate access to permanent supportive housing opportunities.

A lot of progress has been made, but, as anyone who lives in the area knows, we still have a long way to go. I wish I could promise that the El Campamento would be gone within the year, but the reality is that it very likely will not. Even with the City doing all that it can, this is a human problem aggravated by a nationwide crisis. When we get 50 people out of el campamento and into treatment, the very next day, another 50 are there to replace them, driven by the opioid crisis. 

What I can promise though is that both the residents in this area as well as those living in El Campamento have the City’s full attention. We are doing all that we can and we will keep doing it, chipping away, until eventually the encampment is gone. For me, this is personal, and I won’t stop until the community that raised me is on the right track.