A crisis in the upscale neighborhoods of Tel Aviv.. The spread of drugs and the homeless raises panic among residents

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - Residents of neighborhoods in central Tel Aviv and Jaffa are increasingly complaining about the deteriorating sense of personal security, amid reports of the spread of homeless people and drug use in public places, even in the vicinity of luxury residential buildings and cafes.

According to a report published by the Hebrew website Ynet, Noah, a mother of an infant girl who lives in the Montefiore neighborhood in Tel Aviv, says that she has become afraid to go out for a walk with her daughter during the evening hours, despite her residence in a luxurious building that includes security and whose residents pay high management fees.

She added that she encounters syringes in the park near her home, while homeless people spread throughout the area during the evening hours, which makes her feel that living in the neighborhood with children has become difficult.

In the Noga complex in the city of Jaffa, a resident said that she encounters people carrying syringes a short distance from her car, noting that she now avoids going out alone at night.

The report conveyed complaints about using building stairs to relieve oneself, and drug use near cafes, amid concerns among residents about the repercussions of these phenomena on their daily lives and the safety of their children.

In its response to the complaints, the Tel Aviv Municipality said that the responsibility for personal security lies with the police, while the police clarified that dealing with the homeless falls within the responsibility of the municipality, in an exchange of responsibilities that sparked residents’ dissatisfaction.

The report indicates a widening gap between the high housing costs in some neighborhoods of the city and residents’ expectations of a safe environment, at a time when residents are demanding solutions to the manifestations of homelessness and drug use in public places.