Health and Social Services

As discussed earlier the community of Borough makes up Flatbush and it is situated in Brooklyn part of New York City. There are 37,132 housing units with 106,154 people living in them according to the 2000 census (Wikipedia, 2010). Twenty three percent of the residents live below poverty level while close to seventy percent are in the middle class. The community air is not severely polluted but it is not also the best in New York. This is as a result of dumping sites and other environmental conditions in the area. The housing facilities are not enough for the people. This can be seen with the crowding in the area. Most houses are apartment and row houses are also a character in Flatbush. The blocks have close to fifty houses together.

The institutions present are Erasmus Hall High School at the borders of Flatbush, the reformed church and the Brooklyn College. There are several notable parks in Brooklyn most common is Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Prospect Park. The community shares all these resources and it is evident that the resources cannot cater for the community adequately.  The environment waste collection programme is managed mostly by courtesy cleaners, J S Cleaners and other small establishments. They collect waste from the area and also look at the environmental conditions of the community. They also offer household services to the community.

Flatbush is served by Home Healthcare services in Brooklyn and also social volunteer services are available. There are several and the most notable one is Flatbush centre which offers primary health care services, social services and other health needs for the Flatbush community. There are also Adult social services and health care, convalescent homes. East Flatbush Senior Citizens services offer these services. The New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn is the major health care facility that serves the residents of Flatbush and offers most health care needs of the community. This mentioned facilities are faced with challenges of the growing size of the community and lack of necessary resources. They are overwhelmed by the health needs of the Flatbush community (Preferred Health partners, 2010).

Economics

The median household income of Flatbush community is $38,091 and the median per capita income generated is $13,052 per year. There are several shopping stores and most common is the Johnson family store. There is a high rate of unemployment although there are few industries in Brooklyn. There are employment agencies helping people to find job opportunities. The community has several shopping stores that serve the big community. The economic challenge is majorly unemployment and high living costs.

Transport and safety

The community of Flatbush has a good network of transport. It is served by a subway network that is mostly used by the community. It is used by over twenty thousand of the members of the community. Then there are bus routes which serve at least six thousand of the community members while another close to six thousand also drive their own car. The rest use available ferryboats, bicycles and foot. Taxis are also available but it is not very common mode of transport for the people. The cleaning services are run by some few companies for example JS Cleaners. They are in charge for the sanitation of the area. The police department of New York and Fire department have a facility that acts as their post in Flatbush. They serve the precincts of Flatbush. The crime rates are also high in this area. Due to the diversity of culture and vast unemployment it is evident crimes like burglary, car theft and grand larceny will be high. Burglary and car theft are the leading crimes in Flatbush.

Politics and Government

The state senator is called Kevin Parker and he is facing challenge by a city council man in his bid for re election. His challenger Kendall Stewart is also faced with a claim against his aides who embezzled fund. The politics of Flatbush is mainly for the hot seat of state senator. The Federal Government of New York governs Flatbush and its community. The community advocates are not very much influential at the community level. They are only given deaf ears.

Communication

Communication in Flatbush is mostly informal. With the growth of the internet and social networks like face book, MySpace and twitter most people utilise this platform for communication. Mobile phones are also a form used by many. Most Flatbush residents own a mobile phone. Informal language is also widely used. This area is having many African Americans hence slang is also common. Newspapers are a common feature in the shopping stores and streets. It is evident that most adults can get a copy and read but the young people are rarely interested in the newspaper contents. They use internet to get updated with current issues and also depend on grapevine.

Education

There are various public and primary schools in Flatbush. There are also high schools and institutions.  Erasmus Hall is the most common high school with various campuses in Flatbush border. The other is a private called New Vistas Academy. The schools are available but some students are not interested in studying because of their lifestyle. Female students are highly prone to drop out of school as a result of teenage pregnancy. The schools do not perform very well. Flatbush community students lack the motivation and spirit of studying.

This is as a result of lack of discipline. There is a public library in Flatbush. It is available and accessible but it lacks many books. It is the building that can be seen but materials in the library are very old. The lack of educational resources is a major educational issue. Schools need to be upgraded and information materials have to be put in the library. Thus the resources minimally meet the educational needs of Flatbush community.

Recreation

Sport is the most common feature of recreation in Flatbush. The community tennis courts, basketball courts and pitches for football. There are also parks where the community can go and relax for example in Ditmas Park there are a variety of activities for recreation. Dance classes and other games are also widely available. The youths are mostly the ones involved in recreational activities. Basketball and tennis are more common. A few find dancing classes a priority. Not so many adults participate in the sports activities. The sports needs of Flatbush are partly met since good sports infrastructure lacks in Flatbush community. The facilities need to be improved.

Perceptions

The community leaders feel that the community services and programs are not adequate to cater for the large community in Flatbush. They are urging the government and also private initiatives to add more facilities and also try to improve the ones present. The facilities wear out fast for example the schools and transport system. They have served many years but they are rarely refurbished and improved. The population has grown and the capacity for the facilities has not been improved. The community elders feel there is a lot to be done regarding the health living of the community. Security is an issue as crime rates have increased. More substance abuse and alcohol is sold to those below the stipulated age. The community of Flatbush needs immediate attention of the authorities.

Analysis

The Flatbush community has been involved in many programmes to try and improve the health of the community. There are organizations that have come up to provide ways of having a safe community. The first line of defence in Flatbush can be assumed to be organizations that help the community to live a healthy life. Brooklyn Bureau of community service is one of the organizations. They offer a range of services that contribute to building a healthy social life for Flatbush community. The training offered by this organization is vital in forming the normal defence line of the community.

Having these programs enables the community to face many societal problems positively and also avoid. When children go through the programmes they are not likely to be indulged in crime and negative behaviour, adults are going to be more conscious of their health and behaviour. They have also self help groups to curb the poverty levels in the community. This helps them meet their day to day financial requirements.