BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mayor Byron Brown announced on Saturday that the City of Good Neighbors plans to do what it is known for in a new initiative alerting neighbors to those in need.
The Good Neighbor Network is an initiative to distribute door hangers to over 150,000 homes within the City of Buffalo. The door hangers will provide information on how to get help if they need it, and the reverse side includes a bright sign saying, "I need a good neighbor."
Brown says this comes after "hundreds and hundreds" of people signing up with the city to help those in need.
When flipped to the "I need a good neighbor" side of the sign, this will alert volunteers, Buffalo Police and police recruits that someone is in need of non-emergency help. They will attempt to call or assist the resident with what they need, and if deemed necessary, they will dispatch an officer to do a wellness check.
Part of the reasoning behind the sign is that some people still lack access to phones or televisions to find out about, or reach non-emergency help.
Individuals are also encouraged to call 311 to be connected to resources; 311 is in operation from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
This number and the door hangers are for non-emergencies and those in need of emergency help are encouraged to call 911.
"We want to use every means at our disposal to reach citizens throughout the City of Buffalo," Mayor Brown said in the news conference Saturday.
Instructions on the card tell the reader to not open the door for anyone they don't know. A volunteer will not go into your home nor will need to go into your home. Residents should not provide any personal information, including bank account numbers to anyone that comes to their door.
The distribution of the signs will continue through Monday, and once you've read the door hanger, you don't need to keep it on your door unless you are requesting help.
While the door hangers do not provide instructions in languages other than English, residents can put up the good neighbor sign to be connected to 311 services through a language-translation line.
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