PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials cut the ribbon last week on the Kensington Wellness Center, a new strategy in tackling the neighborhood’s complicated problems.
It had the elements of a typical ribbon-cutting, but the ambition is far beyond what is normally expected of a single building. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the wellness center embodies her plan to bring order to Kensington through the Kensington Revitalization Project.
“This is our best effort to bring all of the necessary services into one centralized hub,” she said.
The services include healthcare, shelter, substance abuse treatment, warrant clearance, and diversion programs, among other things. Public Safety Director Adam Geer said the services are not in addition to, but are part of, making the area safe.
“By connecting people to treatment, housing, medical care, and services while also increasing accountability and enforcement, we are actively dismantling the open-air drug market that has harmed Kensington residents for decades,” Greer said.
Many of the people treated there will arrive after being arrested for low-level offenses and diverted to wellness court, where they have the option of accepting services instead of entering the justice system.
Geer said that in the last three months, 25 people have been connected to treatment beds through wellness court, but Deputy Police Commissioner Pedro Rosario said he doesn’t measure success by numbers.
“I think every person we’re able to save is worth it.”
Geer said there’s no center like this anywhere, so it’s a somewhat expensive gamble as to whether it will work.
It’s a comprehensive service center for people with addiction
It’s a comprehensive service center for people with addiction
