STATEN ISLAND, NY — Dozens of residents flocked to Broad Street in Stapleton Saturday for the annual Local NeighborhoodStat event, where children played, families enjoyed food and raffle prizes.

NeighborhoodStat is an initiative of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP). The event is part of a broader effort to improve safety and reduce crime in 15 NYCHA projects, including Stapleton Houses.

At the event, residents were invited to participate in a month-long budgeting process where they can propose ideas on how to use thousands of dollars to improve public safety, health, space and economic stability in their neighborhood.

“The residents of the Stapleton homes get to decide how $30,000 is spent on public safety,” said Ranti Ogunleye, director of the Mayor’s Neighborhood Safety Action Plan. “We want a holistic, comprehensive approach to public safety. There can be no public safety without the community living there. We want the community to tell us where to prioritize the funds.”

Ogunleye stressed that public safety is not just about prison sentences and crime statistics. It is also about economic stability and ensuring a healthy, supportive environment in which people, including young people, can thrive.

Symone Andrews of Stapleton says events like these make her feel heard and show that people really care about improving the future of residents, their children and their community.

“I really think our economic structure and our school system need to be more compartmentalized,” Andrews said. “There’s no reason why some of our kids shouldn’t even know how to count to a certain number. There’s no reason why there are fourth-graders who can’t read at least at a first-grade reading level.”

As a mother, she hopes that the funds will be used to improve the education system, which in turn could strengthen the economic structure.