"There are a lot of people who don't live here, but who come around here to do drugs," she said.
The 66-year-old woman has owned her home in the 600 block of West Princess Street since 1987.
"It was beautiful then," Almeyda said. "It was mostly elderly folks. People would say hello to you."
But that's changed. Over the years, drug dealers started hanging out, absentee landlords bought many of the houses, and litter became an everyday nuisance, she said.
Almeyda said that's why she jumped at the chance, a little less than two years ago, to have a wrought-iron gate and lock installed at the front entrance of her breezeway.
It didn't cost her a penny, she said, but it's paid big dividends.
Gates are free: About two dozen of her neighbors also had the free breezeway gates installed, and Almeyda said it's made a noticeable difference.
"The gates help a lot because they prevent people from going through, and keep
them from doing drugs there," she said. "I'm very pleased."
The project -- a partnership between York City, the Women's Giving Circle and the Salem Square Neighborhood Association -- also installed hundreds of lights in the area, according to Lise Levin, chair of the Women's Giving Circle's York City safety committee.
Now, the partnership has plans to install 300 more free wrought-iron gates and locks in York City's west end.
"We are focusing initially on the 400 to 700 block of West Princess Street," Levin said. "Then we will move out from that point and eventually cover between Richland Avenue and Penn Street, and between Market Street and College Avenue."
Permission sought: York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said it's a huge undertaking, and the city has already obtained homeowner data for the area.
Canvassers will be knocking on residents' homes and contacting landlords, seeking permission to install the gates, Kahley said.
"The police and volunteers will literally go door-to-door to every one of the 300 houses ... to talk to the residents and landlords about partnering with us," Levin said, noting that begins this week.
"We'd love for everyone to participate," Kahley said.
When canvassers get no answer at homes, they will leave door hangers with information about the program, printed in English and Spanish, said Delaine Toerper of the Salem Square Neighborhood Association.
Chief: Gates work: The gates don't merely block access to hiding places, Kahley said -- they also block escape routes, making the area less attractive for the criminal element.
"It's definitely made it a little easier to capture the people we were looking for," he said. "We've seen a positive effect from these gates."
The gates have stopped or lessened all kinds of crimes, according to the chief, not just drug dealing. Prostitution, burglaries and gambling have all decreased where the gates are kept shut and locked, he said.
And that's why it's crucial for residents to get involved in reclaiming their neighborhoods, Levin said.
The gates can't prevent crime if they're not kept locked, she said, so neighbors need to remain vigilant.
Snowball effect: York City Police Officer Blake McBride -- who specializes in what's known as "crime prevention through environmental design" -- said there's a snowball effect:
The safer neighbors feel, the more they'll be outside. And the more they're outside, the more they'll be able to keep an eye on their neighborhoods. Criminals will feel under scrutiny and move on, he said, eventually allowing residents to take back their blocks.
Almeyda said some of her neighbors leave their gates unlocked, and a few wouldn't agree to gates in the first place.
Still, she's hopeful her block can once again become a really nice place to live. She credits the Salem Square association and the police department's west-end neighborhood unit with chipping away at crime and urban decay.
"They're really trying very hard," Almeyda said.
West-end community activist Joanne Borders said the neighbors love the gates and believe they're effective in reducing crime.
"It's absolutely working," Borders said. "You can see the difference. You can see how crime has declined -- and it has declined a lot."
The project could have cost about a third of a million dollars -- if groups weren't donating their time and services, said Lise Levin of the Women's Giving Circle.
"We hope to bring it in somewhere between $85,000 and $100,000," she said.
York City Police and the Salem Square Neighborhood Association are also involved in the project, as are other businesses and groups.
The iron is being provided at cost, and Kinsley Construction is fabricating the gates free, said Delaine Toerper of the Salem Square association.
The York Builders Association and York Habitat for Humanity will install the gates at no cost, she said; York City church members are also volunteering their time.
The York County Community Foundation has donated funds, Levin said, and additional donors are still being sought.
-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdispatch.com, 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.
Gate giveaway
The project to give away and install 300 wrought-iron gates to residents of York City's west end could have cost about a third of a million dollars -- if groups weren't donating their time and services, said Lise Levin of the Women's Giving Circle.
"We hope to bring it in somewhere between $85,000 and $100,000," she said.
York City Police and the Salem Square Neighborhood Association are also involved in the project, as are other businesses and groups.
The iron is being provided at cost, and Kinsley Construction is fabricating the gates for free, said Delaine Toerper of the Salem Square association.
The York Builders Association and York Habitat for Humanity will install the gates at no cost, she said; York City church members are also volunteering their time.
The York County Community Foundation has donated funds, Levin said, and additional donors are still being sought.
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