By The newspaper
22 Feb 2024, 06:00 AM EST
The “Safe Operations Support” program, which has successfully helped 330 homeless New Yorkers – many of whom struggle with serious mental illness – obtain stable housing, will now expand to Long Island, Westchester and other regions of the north of the state, Governor Kathy Hochul announced this Wednesday.
Administered by the Office of Mental Health (OMH), the $34 million program works with support teams to help homeless individuals find permanent housing. These teams use Critical Time Intervention, an evidence-based practice that helps connect vulnerable people in crisis to housing and services.
“Chronic homelessness is not a problem limited to one region of our state, and we must ensure that effective programs reach everywhere,” said Governor Hochul. “By establishing Safe Choices Support teams across the state and more broadly recognizing the link between homelessness and behavioral health challenges, we can help more people living with unmet mental health needs find stability.”
The 14 teams now operating in New York City have helped find permanent housing for more than 330 formerly homeless people, of the approximately 2,000 people estimated to be living with mental illness on the streets or in the subway system. . These teams have had about 15,000 outreach encounters and enrolled more than 1,200 clients with serious mental illness in the program since its inception in 2022.
This Wednesday, the state executive met with staff from these multidisciplinary teams to discuss their work and experiences as they help New Yorkers experiencing chronic homelessness achieve stability. Hochul also spoke with people who received help obtaining permanent housing through the program and heard stories of the critical support they received to address their situation.
The Safe Operations Support program added four teams to serve Rochester and the Finger Lakes region; Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga counties in the Capital Region; Broome, Chenango and Otsego counties in the southern tier; and Orange and Dutchess counties in the Hudson Valley. These teams join three others that began serving communities in Erie County, Westchester County and Long Island since the fall.
Dr. Ann Sullivan, commissioner of the Office of Mental Health, said the work of the Safe Options Support teams extends from initial assistance on the streets to supporting the people they help obtain temporary housing and ultimately permanent.
“Through trust and building relationships, these teams can help vulnerable people connect with the critical services and support they can rely on for their recovery. By fully embracing this successful model, Governor Hochul provides critical mental health support to New Yorkers and strengthens our state’s overall system of care,” the commissioner said.
Ambulatory care
The governor’s plan to address the mental health crisis is also strengthening outpatient mental health supports to ensure more New Yorkers can receive high-quality outpatient care. In December 2023, the state funded 13 new certified community behavioral health clinics, with plans to fund another 13 later this year. It also provides funding for specialized housing with comprehensive services for people living with serious mental illness. To date, OMH has allocated approximately $768 million for procurement to strengthen residential programs for people with mental illness across the state.