Drop-In Center
Established in November of 2002, Fortune’s Drop-in Center aims to strengthen the ability of health service providers on Rikers Island to provide a continuity of care for HIV-positive releasees. Through our offices on the Rikers Island complex and adjacent to the drop-off point, we connect HIV-positive individuals and those at risk of contracting the virus to critical services in the community. Engaging this population immediately upon release – when they are the most vulnerable – is critical if they are going to remain free of incarceration, stay healthy and avoid relapse into substance abuse.
Shockingly, men and women who were incarcerated at Rikers Island jail are often released between the hours of 2am and 6am. They are dropped off in the heart of Queens Plaza, a community rife with drug activity, with nothing but the shirts on their backs and a $4 transit pass. Fortune’s 24-Hour Drop-in Center is strategically located to provide support and services to these individuals. Staff members meet the releasees as they get off the buses in the middle of the night, inviting them to the drop-in center for a cup of coffee and the opportunity to speak with a counselor. Once there, Fortune staffers provide needs assessments, crisis intervention services and immediate linkage to services.
In 2005, the Drop-in Center served 178 HIV-positive formerly incarcerated individuals and provided referrals for services to 841 recent jail releasees.
___________________
For additional information about the Drop-In Center please contact Nilda Ricard, Manager of the Drop-In Center, at or 212-691-7554, ext. 281.
