For the past year, neighborhood resident Aldo Perez has waged a war on a homeless shelter and synthetic marijuana use in Bedford Park. He’s now turning to a halfway house for recovering addicts, which he claims, condones drug use, loitering and fistfights in front of the building. And he’s fed up.

And Perez is not alone. A quiet chorus of residents has also complained about some of the activity that includes syringes being thrown out of windows or tenants exposing themselves.

The so-called three-quarter home at 2846 Briggs Ave. is operated by Narco Freedom, a nonprofit that provides housing for recovering addicts in treatment. Community leaders, elected officials and police have since met privately with representatives for the troubled site to quell any quality of life nuisances.

“It’s run by an organization that does not care for the interest, for the public safety, and health of its residents or its community. It’s an organization that only cares about making money, does not care about giving any case management even to its own clients,” said Perez, a Briggs Avenue resident who routinely records Narco Freedom clients rushed to the hospital or experiencing a high after using synthetic marijuana, a lethal drug.

Narco Freedom has recently been plagued by allegations of fraud, with the company’s finances showing it edging towards bankruptcy.

The nonprofit was founded by Alan Brand, who now operates it with his two sons. The trio, and other staffers, were arrested and indicted early this year on numerous charges that include defrauding Medicaid and insurance companies, bribery and corruption.

It is alleged that that treatment decisions were made based on how much money the group could recoup from Medicaid. Narco Freedom received $40 million annually in Medicaid reimbursements. Some of this money, along with a $13,000 monthly check Brand received as a kickback for renting from a developer who rented buildings to Narco Freedom patients, helped the Brands bankroll a lavish lifestyle of several luxury cars and mansions.

A report published by the Daily News stated that a bankruptcy attorney hired by Narco Freedom advised that 11 out of the 18 houses operated by the firm should be closed, which would leave almost 800 residents displaced. Perez believes the Briggs Avenue location, should be one of the 11 homes closed.

“Everyone has the right to be rehabilitated. Everybody has the right to change their lives and they should be given the right. They send the worst of the worst to that site, the ones that are rejected from every other corner of New York City. They send them there. It’s like a dumping ground. Why is it in our neighborhood?” asked Perez.

Perez and other residents have already called the problems with the building to the attention of local lawmakers, Community Board 7, and the 52nd Precinct. At a private meeting with Narco Freedom, several solutions were suggested including increased police access to the building, and the possibility of even reducing the amount of residents at that location.

For legal reasons, a representative from Narco Freedom declined to comment.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.