New York Metropolis plans to construct a live-in “safe space” care facility for homeless individuals with severe psychological sickness who’re repeatedly handled and discharged from metropolis hospitals, Mayor Adams mentioned Wednesday.
This system, dubbed “Bridge to Home” goals to cease “the revolving door” by taking in those that have been hospitalized repeatedly, filling a niche in care left after sufferers are discharged and have nowhere to go, Adams mentioned.
“The new facility will provide a safe space for New Yorkers with mental illness to live, to heal and be cared for so they get the life-changing help they need,” Adams mentioned from the Bellevue Hospital atrium in Manhattan.
“It will also help reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and inpatient hospitals. If we don’t get people off the streets that are dealing with medical issues, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, they end up in the emergency room,” Adams mentioned.
The plan is to accommodate sufferers for six to 12 months, giving them their very own room, three meals per day and on-site well being care together with remedy, remedy assist and substance use dysfunction therapy. The tip purpose is to graduate the sufferers into supportive housing, mentioned Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of the town’s public hospital system.
The town has not but recognized the place the 1,000-bed, $13 million facility can be positioned. Adams, who has mentioned he desires to ramp up involuntary hospitalizations, a controversial initiative that takes those that look like a risk to themselves or others off the streets and into hospitals, mentioned this system can be in motion in 2027.
A homeless man within the Bleecker Road subway station. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Advocates slammed the announcement for missing particulars.
“Tackling homelessness requires meaningful and comprehensive new investments in affordable housing and our mental health care system, with strong community input. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s sparsely detailed announcement today, and his plan to curb our city’s homelessness, do not reflect that imperative,” Beth Haroules, senior workers legal professional on the New York Civil Liberties Union mentioned.
“If we don’t see these types of investments from our city leaders soon, we are headed for incredibly dark days, especially with another Trump administration.”
Adams introduced the $650 million in psychological well being funding over the following 5 years final week at his State of the Metropolis handle, the place he additionally declared his plans to dedicate a few of that funding to including extra Protected Haven beds, that are shelter beds for these with psychological sickness or habit.
Within the speech, he additionally dedicated to constructing 100,000 new houses in Manhattan.
