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Recovery services now come to the curb in five Brooklyn neighborhoods through a mobile van that was launched on September 23 with a ribbon cutting at Barclays Center.
Everything on board is free including Narcan training, harm reduction supplies, peer support recovery, coaching and treatment referrals. People do not need insurance or enrollment to use the services.
BKReader reports that Phoenix House of New York and Long Island operates the van through a program called Neighborhood Outreach Wellness.
The program is one of seven community organizations that New York City funded through its $12 million investment in peer led recovery services announced in May. The city used opioid settlement dollars to fund the initiative.
What Rolls Up to the Curb
The van brings street level outreach into neighborhoods. Staff provide overdose prevention, education, harm reduction supplies, recovery coaching and community education. Anyone ready to enter a program can receive treatment referrals.
The team also does work training and certifying peer workers. That work turns lived recovery experience into a paid profession, and gives people with firsthand knowledge a role in helping others.
“Trust is built person by person block by block,” said Shaun Willis of Phoenix House at the launch. His comment captures the central idea which is that people who might never enter a treatment center can instead speak with a peer on their sidewalk.
The Map the Overdose Data Drew
The van follows a route shaped by the borough’s overdose losses. It serves East New York, Brownsville, Flatbush, Williamsburg and Bushwick because those communities carry a significant share of New York City’s overdose burden.
New York City recorded 2,192 overdose deaths in 2024 compared with 3,056 in 2023. Black and Latino New Yorkers experienced a disproportionate share of the toll, as did people in high poverty neighborhoods and adults ages 55 to 64. Mobile outreach focuses on these communities and also reaches people who distrust formal systems or work schedules that make regular clinic appointments difficult.
Phoenix House has operated since 1967, and has run a Brooklyn Community Recovery Center for years. The new van extends that reach into neighborhood streets and both the center and the van provide services free of charge.
No Screening, No Insurance, No Charge
Anyone can approach the van, staff do not require an eligibility review and the program charges nothing for naloxone training supplies or coaching. People who want treatment referrals can connect with Phoenix House programs or other city funded options.
New Yorkers can also find free or low-cost help through state funded rehabilitation centers, opioid treatment programs that accept Medicaid, nonprofit providers and mutual support groups. SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 provides support around the clock.
Free Resources
NOW van services include Narcan training, harm reduction supplies, peer support, recovery coaching and treatment referrals
Phoenix House Brooklyn Community Recovery Center services
NYC opioid settlement funded peer recovery programs across all five boroughs
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for immediate mental health support
The van follows a neighborhood schedule so check Phoenix House’s published route times for the five areas it serves. You can also visit the recovery center in person because it accepts walk-ins from any neighborhood.
If cost has kept you from seeking help that barrier does not exist here. Call
800-914-7089
(
Sponsored)
to speak with a treatment specialist or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1 800 662 4357. You can also search Rehab.org’s directory to find treatment centers near you.
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