Council Member Nowakowski told the Committee on Community Development on July 29 that Broadway-Fillmore and adjacent neighborhoods are experiencing a severe behavioral health and public-safety problem and urged coordinated action across city, county and state agencies.

"I have extreme vagrancy and mental health concerns and drug use," Council Member Nowakowski said. "I do not know who the proper person to call is when I see 7 people injecting drugs in them. Who do I call? What is the appropriate?" He criticized what he called a "laissez faire" response to people he described as visibly deteriorated and said residents deserve clearer, faster help.

Jason Hilly, policy director for the county executive and executive assistant to the county health commissioner, described the Erie County Department of Health's Office of Harm Reduction (OHR) work since June 2024: "our OHR team since June 2024 has done almost 600 outreach events, 500 of which were in the city of Buffalo." Hilly said the office had distributed "over 10,000 naloxone kits, almost 15,000 fentanyl test strips, and almost 11,000 xylazine test strips within the city of Buffalo." He said overdose deaths peaked in 2023 and that, while deaths have decreased in recent months, fentanyl remains the leading cause and Black residents and older adults remain disproportionately affected.

Residents and business owners echoed concerns and asked for more coordinated services. Chris Holly, speaking for the Central Terminal Neighborhood Association, urged a "multi-pronged, compassionate approach" and wrote that "we know that law enforcement alone is not the solution to a mental health crisis. Residents afflicted by addiction need health care and housing first." Local business owner Tim Stevens said he supports a concentrated facility where "all health needs, mental, drug rehab, substance abuse, homelessness can be handled in 1 area" rather than dispersed responses.

Council Member Nowakowski said he will refer the matter to the Police Oversight Committee so Behavioral Health Team (BHT) and other agencies can clarify roles and local response options. The motion "is to send to the police oversight committee," was made and seconded by Council Member Everhart and recorded by the chair; the committee moved to send the item for further review rather than adopt an immediate local policy.

No new regulatory authority or new funding was adopted at the meeting. County staff said the Department of Health focuses on prevention, distribution of harm-reduction supplies and outreach and does not provide direct treatment, which remains the role of the mental-health and treatment system.