In New York the project focused its efforts on women who were the partners of male injection drug users. The intervention area was a public housing development in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This development is next to one of the major drug-dealing areas in New York City, and was the site for frequent police raids. The comparison area was a second public housing development that also was located in the Lower East Side. The majority of residents in both housing projects were Hispanic.

The peer volunteers called themselves the "Compañeras." The intervention material containing role model stories was called the "Compañera Newsletter."

The project was conducted by the National Development and Research Institute under the direction of the principal investigator, Susan Tross, Ph.D. Staff on the New York project included:

• Abu Abdul-Quader, Ph.D.
• Beatrice Krauss, Ph.D.
• Martha Sanchez
• Paul Simons