“I believe that you should take the necessary steps to helping New Yorkers battle this epidemic. One being opening up centers for people that are struggling so that they can seek the help that they need – especially ones that cannot afford to do so otherwise. I think creating more community outreach that people actually feel safe with having around will also affect how people reach out for help. Cracking down on the distribution of the opioids will also help stop the epidemic. I’ve seen my neighbor that I’ve known for over 10 years fall victim to this epidemic and he now has to stay in rehab because if he leaves he’s at great risk of going back into his addiction. He even explained to his family that he feels safer in rehab because he knows that if he leaves it’s too easy for him to access opioids again. People that I went to my brooklyn high school with no longer have their youth because of this crisis.”