While the Drop-In Center at 25 Allen Street is the focal point for agency services and activities, street outreach keeps us connected to the community and helps drug users learn about the services we offer. Street outreach is so critical because it enables us to reach some of the most disenfranchised people in the city. Besides directly assisting those most in need, we also bring them into contact with other networks of services and care—many for the first time in years. 

Since 1990, street outreach in the form of "walkabouts" has been an integral part of LESHRC's work, reaching more than 1600 contacts annually. Walkabouts occur every week, when a small core team of staff and volunteers sets out carrying backpacks filled with supplies.

The team leaves the center on foot in search of injecting drug users, women and men engaged in the sex trade, and others in need of harm reduction or other services. Besides visiting specific locations on the Lower East Side that are known to be frequented by these populations, the team also branches out into less familiar areas in efforts to meet new participants. 



With each contact, staff and volunteers provide immediate assistance, give information on the full array of services available from LESHRC, and encourage people to stop by the center to get additional help. Ultimately, this ends up being the first step toward mainstreaming for many of the people our outreach workers meet on the streets.