We can't let the kids go out and play lots of times because of rats. At the Park Heights command post, city Department of Social Services staffers at one table help residents who need food stamps, medical assistance, or similar services. Nearby, Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems employees screen heroin addicts for treatment slots. As director of the Northwestern Neighborhood Service Center, Alice Poole-Davis knows well the issues plaguing Park Heights and other communities. When we're dealing with that, we're dealing with other problems.
People are homeless and without jobs.
People are sick and just needing help. Mothers and families are affected by drugs and crime. Because of the complex layers of social and economic issues involved in the targeted areas, drug arrests solve only part of the problem, Poole-Davis says. If you go two blocks from here, you might find two or three drug addicts, but you also might find four or five people who have problems paying rent, getting a job, paying gas and electric. The whole thing is a holistic view of the needs of the community.