His spacious offices at 350 Jay Street notwithstanding, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has spread his net wide, opening an increasing number of satellite offices in various corners of the borough.
The offices, which now number 24 – with regular mobile office stops at two more locations – are set up within existing facilities that give the DA space for a few hours every week to enable local residents to access the services and assistance he can provide without traveling all the way downtown.
The opportunities provided by the local offices were the subject of a short talk given by Coleen Marshall, deputy director of for the neighborhood offices, who made a presentation on them during Community Board 10’s June meeting.
Speaking to the group gathered in the community room at Shore Hill, 9000 Shore Road, Marshall emphasized that, even though the neighborhood offices have been open for several years, “Not everyone knows we are here in the community.
“We have a message for every resident of every neighborhood in Brooklyn,” Marshall went on, “We can help you protect yourself, your family, your home, your money and your property.”
According to material provided by the DA, the neighborhood offices are, “Staffed by trained counselors who offer assistance on a variety of issues. These include elder abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, drug or gang activity, prostitution, burglary, robbery, identity theft, fraudulent loans or other frauds, and Medicare, Section 8 or landlord-tenant disputes.”
In particular, said Marshall, the offices are convenient for the elderly who might not want to travel a long way. “One of the reasons why we are in the community is so seniors don’t have to travel to 350 Jay Street to get help,” she stressed.
If the DA’s office can’t help directly, they can find someone who can, Marshall said. “We’re the gateway to help,” she told the group.
In the Bay Ridge area, the DA has several locations.
His staff is at the Bay Ridge Community Service Center (formerly the Bay Ridge Center for Older Adults), 6935 Fourth Avenue, on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
They also set up on Mondays at Shore Hill, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
DA staffers are also at the Catholic Migration Office, 1258 65th Street in Dyker Heights, on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (phone: 718-232-4263).
Finally, the mobile office stops every Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Arab-American Association of New York, 7117 Fifth Avenue.
For further information on the DA’s neighborhood offices, call 718-250-2555.
