Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams with twoBrooklyn residents at unveiling
of fi rst shower bus at Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn. Erica
Caribbean Life, NOVEMBER 20-26, 2020 3
By Nelson A. King
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams said on Wednesday
that the decision to close public
schools lies with the question
of science and health, among other
things.
“All day today, as they have for
many months, New York City’s parents
and principals, teachers and students
waited for leadership to explain
whether and when the city’s public
schools would be closed,” said Williams.
“While they finally have an
answer, there is absolutely no leadership
present.
“Whether to close schools amid
an increase in COVID-19 cases was
a question of science and of health,”
he added. “Whether to order that
closure with less than sixteen hours
before it would be enforced and upend
the lives of people across the city is a
question of common sense and sound
management, neither of which has
been seen today or throughout much
of this pandemic.
“This systemic dysfunction goes
far beyond the issue of a three percent
threshold, and it is inflicting a trauma
on the city,” Williams continued.
“If closing schools can meaningfully
slow the spread and save lives, then it
is a step to consider. But, today, it is
one taken without caution, without
knowledge of the next step, without
regard for the teachers, parents, students
and staff being dragged along
by this brinkmanship as the achievement
gap widens.”
Williams said any closure should
come with re-established REC centers
for students and parents in greatest
need, an investment in effective
remote learning, robust family outreach,
and “a clear-cut plan to reopen
with a phased approach when
science and safety dictate.”
By Tangerine Clarke
Brooklyn Borough President Eric
Adams, and the Brooklyn Community
Service (BSC) on Nov. 17, unveiled the
borough’s first shower bus at Brooklyn
Borough Hall, during a ribbon-cutting
ceremony to mark the special occasion of
the formally known BSC Mobile Unit.
The fully outfitted bus will travel the
borough of Brooklyn, where there is a
high population of Caribbean nationals,
to provide hot showers, toiletries,
peer counseling, housing support, and
employment resources to the city’s
homeless population.
According to the release from the
BP’s Office, the shower bus project aims
to address chronic homelessness, and is
made possible with the support of Borough
President Adams, the Brooklyn
Delegation of the City Council, as well
as the sponsorship of Con Edison and
Unilever.
“The shower bus will serve those who
are often overlooked in our borough,
at a time when Brooklynites and New
Yorkers are in the most acute need for
these kinds of services. I thank Brooklyn
Community Services and their partners
in the nonprofit and private sectors for
their tireless efforts to make this project
a reality,” said Adams.
“Two years ago, we embarked on the
process of bringing a first-of-its-kind
shower bus to Brooklyn, premised on the
simple notion that being homeless should
not be a barrier to basic hygiene or living
with dignity. Today, I am thrilled to see
that vision finally come to fruition.”
“The shower bus will serve those who
are often overlooked in our borough,
at a time when Brooklynites and New
Yorkers are in the most acute need for
these kinds of services. I thank Brooklyn
Community Services and their partners
in the nonprofit and private sectors for
their tireless efforts to make this project
a reality,” said Brooklyn Borough President
Adams.
Janelle Farris, executive director of
Brooklyn Community Services said,
“We are elated to reveal Brooklyn’s first
shower bus, providing much needed and
immediate resources to the homeless
population of Brooklyn.”
“For more than 150 years, BCS has
earned a reputation for providing lifesaving
services to Brooklyn residents
through every point of crisis, and this
new project speaks to our commitment
of helping each and every Brooklyn resident
meet their potential,” she said.
“Con Edison is proud to support this
important and unique project, which will
help New Yorkers in need live healthier,
more comfortably and with greater dignity,”
said Juliet Lewis, a corporate affairs
manager for Con Edison. “Our company
sees this contribution as an investment
in our city and its people. We feel privileged
to be New York City’s energy provider
and try to give back through our
charitable contributions and employee
engagement activities.”
“I’m so glad that Brooklyn’s first
mobile shower bus will at last be up and
running to provide some measure of
dignity for homeless neighbors in Brooklyn.
Thank you to Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams and to Brooklyn
Community Services for your dedicated
work to turn this idea, which emerged
from participatory budgeting, into a fully
staffed and operated program in the
community. Especially as the coronavirus
pandemic has pushed many more
people into acute need and made it harder
to access support, the shower bus will
be an essential public health resource,”
said Council Member Brad Lander.
“I’m proud to have joined BP Eric
Adams to secure funding for a shower
bus in Brooklyn. This mobile public facility
will provide our homeless residents
with a basic necessity most others take
for granted, and ensure they have a way
to meet their hygiene needs and protect
themselves from COVID-19,” said
Lander.
“I also want to acknowledge the late
Lew Fidler, who always spoke up for
the marginalized, including homeless
LGBTQIA youth, and also worked on
achieving this public service for those
most in need. I made a commitment
to him that as co-chair of the Brooklyn
Delegation, and with the leadership
and support of Council Speaker Corey
Johnson, we would prioritize funding
the shower bus for our most vulnerable
residents in Brooklyn,” said Council
Member Mark Treyger.
“I am excited for the debut of Brooklyn’s
first shower bus, which will offer
homeless New Yorkers immediate
resources and care,” said Council Member
Antonio Reynoso. “As co-chair of the
City Council’s Brooklyn Delegation, I am
proud of the delegation’s work to secure a
$77,000 allocation for this vital resource.
Thanks to our partnership with Borough
President Adams, the shower bus will
provide services to those who most need
them in a time of great urgency.”
“We applaud Brooklyn Community
Services and Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams for creating this mobile
shower unit that will help fulfill an urgent
need for homeless New Yorkers. Access to
basic hygiene is essential to human dignity,
and we hope this becomes the first
of many shower and restroom stations
across the city,” said Giselle Routhier,
policy director at Coalition for the Homeless.
The retrofitted bus was made possible
through funding allocations of $308,000
from Borough President Adams’ Fiscal
Year 2018 (FY18) capital budget and
$77,000 from the City Council. It will
have two individual shower units, each
with overhead showers, sinks, toilets,
and benches.
Krodman/Brooklyn BP’s Offi ce
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams.
Associated Press / Frank Franklin II, fi le
Brooklyn Borough Prez
unveils first shower bus
NY closes
public
schools