PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez unveiled the Restore Kensington effort Tuesday, a new multifaceted approach to improve public safety and the quality of life in the neighborhood.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” she said. “We are going to have better success if we continue to work together and continue to challenge the departments and everyone involved in this work.”
The city and community stakeholders announced the initiative, which will use a series of strategies and investments to tackle some of Kensington’s biggest challenges, like addiction and drug use, homelessness, and stricter policing.
The Philadelphia Police Department opened the neighborhood’s own police district last month.
“The district has its own command structure and a staff of several dozen police officers on bicycle and on foot,” said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. “All of these folks will be working around the clock to deliver a personalized level of service.”
The Restore Kensington project also connects residents to available resources and takes into account community feedback and advocacy.
“This is just the beginning of our work,” said city Managing Director Tumar Alexander. “We heard your calls for help, whether you’re giving us feedback by 311, joined us at community meetings, or emailing us. We are listening and we are here to respond as community partners.
“We won’t settle for anything less than what every member of our city deserves: safety, clean streets and equity. We will continue to be here with you until those standards are met.”