From the start of our administration, we have been clear that the days of ignoring people in crisis — on our streets and in our subways — were over. It’s no secret that too many New Yorkers who suffer from severe mental illness cycle between hospitals and homelessness, and that we need a better way to help them get long-term care and stable housing.
That’s where taking a public health approach to public safety comes in, and what our new ‘Bridge to Home’ initiative will provide for our brothers and sisters in need, specifically for those whohave been discharged from psychiatric facilities but do not have a home to return to and are not yet ready to live independently.
The first facility opened last week in Midtown Manhattan, with individual rooms, three balanced meals a day, and wraparound mental health services for up to 46 residents. It will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by professionals from NYC Health + Hospitals, who will provide behavioral health services, medication management, and substance use disorder treatment, as well as regular social, therapeutic, and recreational opportunities.
By providing people managing severe mental illness with safe, clean rooms and dedicated on-site clinical support, our ‘Bridge to Home’ facilities will bridge the divide between critical hospital care and long-term housing solutions. The program will reduce emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations, as well as decrease street homelessness and reliance on shelters. This will help patients avoid unnecessary encounters with law enforcement and make our city safer while improving quality of life for all New Yorkers. That is what taking a public health approach to public safety actually looks like.
‘Bridge to Home’ is part of our $650 million plan, that we announced in this year’s State of the City address. The plan builds on over three years of dedicated work to help New Yorkers struggling with homelessness and mental illness, and is changing the way we care for those in crisis.
From expanding our SCOUT and PATH outreach models that pair social workers with police officers to do outreach on the subways, to increasing the number of community clubhouses that provide safe spaces for people with severe mental illness, to expanding Safe Haven beds that make it easier for homeless New Yorkers to get off the street, we have used every possible tool and method to help New Yorkers in need get care and services, no matter what issues they are struggling with. More importantly, we are investing in the social services that take a public health approach to keeping all New Yorkers safe.
Our administration has changed the conversation around mental health, homelessness, and quality-of-life issues. We have successfully advocated for improved legal options, particularly the ‘Supportive Interventions Act,’ which helped us get Albany to give us the ability to expand access to care and increase involuntary treatment options this year.
Our work over the last three and a half years has been the right thing to do, the compassionate thing to do, and it has had broad support from a majority of New Yorkers. We are delivering real solutions that work, not catch-phrases that will never become reality.
I have seen both sides of this issue, from living on the verge of homelessness as a child to patrolling our subways as a transit officer. As mayor, I am determined to help break the cycle of dysfunction and build a better future; a future where all New Yorkers have a chance for grace, guidance, and long-term recovery. We all know that no matter how lost you may be, there is always a way home, but sometimes you need a little help to get there.
Photo: Ed Reed, Mayoral Photography Office
