Op-Ed: What I Didn’t Hear Enough About From the Candidates
An open letter to all the candidates by Yosef Mendel Heintz, LMSW
Mental Health
Mental health is a substantial crisis in our community, with addiction and suicide being a strong issue at hand. Our youth are struggling, and our families are drifting apart. Many of the kids and adults need mental health treatment, but they don’t have where to go. While this issue was mentioned as a sidebar at the Meet the Candidates forum, there wasn’t enough focus on it. How will we ensure that families in crisis in Crown Heights will get the help they need? How will we ensure that teens from all levels of religion have somewhere to turn to?
Social Services
Our community lacks access to Social Services. Ask a random Lubavitcher on the street where I can get help filling out a SNAP application or Medicaid application, etc. They’ll tell you to go to the UJO, met council, or COJO, But no one will tell you to go somewhere local. We need a revamped social services agency in Crown Heights. Candidates, please let us know how you will accomplish this.
The housing crisis was talked about a lot and is indeed a very serious issue in Crown Heights. The facts of the matter are that Crown Heights is overpacked and very expensive, and while it is easy to make campaign promises about it, it mostly has to do with supply and demand. So, while focusing on it makes a good campaign speech, these other issues mentioned here are fixable, and I hope that before Sunday, we’ll hear more about them from the candidates.
Yosef Mendel Heintz is a Licensed Social Worker in NY and NJ and resides with his wife and son in Crown Heights. He graduated from Wurzweiler School of Social Work in August 2023. He works at Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services on the Mobile Outreach Team, providing short-term crisis intervention and referrals for individuals and families of all ages with mental health issues. He can be reached at Yosefheintz@gmail.com.
Zalman
Exactly right! Those are important issues that need to be addressed.
I cringed when candidates spoke about solving the housing issue by giving people money to buy, because that demonstrated a failure to understand the basic economics. The ONLY workable solution is more supply. They can start with identifying empty lots to build condos/appartments.
Chaya
I have gone to the Crown Heights community council for Medicaid applications for years and it has always been a pleasant experience!
I recently needed to apply for Food stamps and Heap and asked the community council and they had a department for both, they really knew what they were doing and helped me get benefits BH.
Daniel Botnick
Years ago the CHJCC was on track to create a well funded mental health program. The plan was scuttled by in incoming council and the individuals spearheading it were fired or forced out. I hope the forthcoming council is more enlightened.
So much to talk about
They also didn’t talk about physical health and nutrition, they didn’t talk about crime or first aid training, sanitation, social justice, immigration, etc. etc. They are not campaigning to be the Messiah, just for the Vaad Hakohol. Hopefully they’ll improve something in the community. Almost anything would be beneficial. We should stop trying to find flaws and asking what about this and that.
Updated picture
Is there an updated photo of the author? It seems things have changed since his last op-ed.