NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) holds a press briefing on Mental Health Week.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning, everyone, and welcome, welcome.
00:03I am Suzanne Mazgusta, the new Deputy Mayor
00:05for Health and Human Services.
00:08And as you might know, this is my first week with the team.
00:11It's been a whirlwind, but I cannot be more thrilled
00:15to join a team of just dedicated public servants
00:17doing the work for all New Yorkers.
00:19This week, as part of Mental Health Week,
00:21we've traveled the city, all around checking in
00:24on the work our different agencies do
00:26to help connect New Yorkers with mental health resources
00:29that they need.
00:31As you know, we do this work to achieve our mission
00:34of making New York City safer
00:36and the best place to raise a family.
00:38When we hear from New Yorkers about safety,
00:40one thing we repeatedly hear
00:43is that they want to feel safe in our subways.
00:46But before I turn things over to the mayor
00:48to share the details of what we've done,
00:50I want to acknowledge who's here with us today.
00:52So along with Mayor Adams,
00:54we have NYPD Chief of Transit, Joseph Gulotta.
00:59We have NYPD Captain, Han Ji-Loo.
01:02Department of Social Services Commissioner,
01:05Molly Wasu-Park.
01:07And we have our Department of Homeless Services
01:09Outreach Worker, William Williams.
01:12And of course, my favorite,
01:13New York City Health and Hospital CEO
01:15and President, Dr. Mitch Katz.
01:17With that, I'll turn things over to the mayor.
01:21Thank you, DM, and thank you to the entire team that's here.
01:25We have been highlighting Mental Health Week
01:29this entire week to show the work that we're doing.
01:32Not only that, how the team is assembled together
01:36to accomplish the task,
01:38because when you're dealing with mental health issues,
01:42not only severe mental health,
01:44but just those who are dealing with areas of depression
01:47or any form of mental health,
01:49it's a multifaceted approach.
01:52From in our schools, to our clubhouses,
01:56and now one of the areas that's probably more visible
02:00to New Yorkers is what takes place here
02:04in our subway system.
02:05We hear it over and over again.
02:07Those who are dealing with severe mental health issues
02:10for the most part are participating in conditions
02:13that brings a level of public safety.
02:15The shoving on the subway tracks,
02:17the attacks, the assaults.
02:21Many people showing a level of display
02:25that is alarming to New Yorkers.
02:27And we knew we had to tackle this firsthand.
02:30And keeping New Yorkers safe is the number one commitment.
02:33You hear me say it over and over again.
02:36Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity.
02:40And we made it clear in this administration from the start,
02:44allowing people to sleep in our subway system,
02:47allowing people to sleep on our streets is just inhumane.
02:52And we were unwilling and was not going to just walk by
02:55our fellow brothers and sisters and see them suffering
02:58for mental health issues and act like it does not exist.
03:02We were going to respond.
03:03And respond is exactly what we do.
03:07And that's why our administration has taken bold actions
03:09and bold steps to make sure we approach individuals,
03:15give them the care and support that they deserve.
03:17And we receive a lot of opposition.
03:19Despite this opposition, we are willing to say no
03:23to letting our brothers and sisters sleep on the streets
03:26or in our subway station.
03:28I remember when the governor and I first rolled out
03:31the subway safety plan, we had a young woman
03:34that was sleeping under the stairs for months.
03:38And people were just walking by and ignoring the fact
03:41that she was in need of care.
03:43We responded immediately.
03:44But PATH is our innovative way to,
03:50to ensure that we use all of our resources
03:52to tackle this problem.
03:54It's the perfect example, what we're doing
03:57and how we're thinking differently.
03:59And we're seeing results.
04:01No one can argue with that.
04:03Our PATH team use a co-response model
04:05and combines law enforcement with trained outreach
04:09and mental health professionals.
04:11This means NYPD officers, DHS outreach workers
04:15and nurses working together as one unit.
04:19The dynamic group can respond to any issue,
04:22whether it's dealing with the public safety,
04:25homelessness or mental health.
04:27It allows us to move in a rapid fashion
04:30and ensure the safety of our civilian personnel
04:33with our law enforcement personnel.
04:36Whichever way you look at this program PATH,
04:39it has delivered for New Yorkers.
04:41And what is more, this program is working,
04:44is clearly seeing results.
04:46Every night the PATH teams are in our subways
04:49doing this work.
04:51And I'm proud to announce that since launching
04:53at the end of August, PATH teams have had
04:57over 11,000 engagements and delivered services
05:02to over 3,000 times to New Yorkers in need.
05:07These services include shelter placement,
05:10medical care, food, clothes, and yes,
05:12sometimes transfers to the hospital,
05:15but both voluntarily and involuntarily removals.
05:20Our work with PATH will help address
05:21one of the city's most serious concerns.
05:24We hear it over and over again,
05:26and we wanted to meet it head on.
05:28This is making sure people can ride the train safely,
05:32day or night.
05:33And so we wanna be clear on this.
05:35We're not saying those who are unhoused
05:37and need a support are the primary source
05:40of crime on our subways.
05:41We don't want that to be the interpretation.
05:44It adds to the feeling of unsafety.
05:46We've driven down crime, but we hear New Yorkers say
05:49over and over again, they feel unsafe.
05:52And if it's untreated, severe mental health illnesses
05:56is a known risk factor for violence and crime.
06:00And helping those suffering get treatment
06:02must be part of our plan to keep our city safe,
06:05both in its actual crime stats,
06:07but and also how people feel.
06:10Even for the majority of these people
06:12who are unlikely to ever present a danger to others,
06:16we have a moral responsibility to protect them
06:19from suffering and from the very high risk
06:22of being victimized by others.
06:24And that's what this administration is doing.
06:26We will continue to make progress
06:29on our goal of bringing down crime
06:32and have achieved record achievements
06:34on subway safety in recent months.
06:37In partnership with the governor,
06:38the NYPD began deploying two police officers
06:42on every train during overnight hours,
06:44seven days per week since January.
06:49And thanks in part to those efforts,
06:51year-to-date subway crime is down 28%.
06:55We are talking about record lows in subway crime
06:59that follow two straight years
07:02of index crime declines in the system.
07:04Two straight years.
07:07We have been focused on both making the subways safer
07:10and making sure New Yorkers get the help they need.
07:13And since the start of our subway safety plan
07:16three years ago, we have connected 8,400 New Yorkers
07:21to shelter with over 860 people
07:25placed in permanent affordable housing.
07:28Those numbers speak for themselves.
07:30And when you think about it,
07:31800 people used to live in our system
07:34are now living in permanent housing.
07:37So this week during Mental Health Week,
07:39we are also highlighting many of our other efforts
07:42for New Yorkers struggling with mental health,
07:45including investing in mental health clinics
07:47and providing free therapy to our kids in schools,
07:50getting families the support they need
07:52where and when they need it,
07:55fighting to pass the Supportive Intervention Act in Albany
07:59so we can provide care for those
08:01who show signs of mental illness
08:03but cannot meet their basic needs.
08:04This is such an important piece of legislation
08:07and we're hoping our colleagues in Albany
08:09ensures that it gets through this legislative cycle.
08:14And so New Yorkers should know that they can call 988
08:18in an effort to anytime they need to connect
08:21with trained professionals
08:22who can provide short-term counseling, suicide prevention,
08:26and other crisis intervention.
08:28988 can also refer you to a variety of low
08:33or no-cost mental health and substance use services.
08:37And so that number must become as well known
08:42as we look at 911.
08:44Many people are dealing with mental health issues
08:46in the city and 988 is the starting point
08:49to identify those services that are available.
08:52And so we were clear when we came to office,
08:54make the city more affordable, make it safe,
08:57and be there for everyday New Yorkers
08:59who need services of any kind.
09:01So again, I wanna thank the partners who are here
09:03and turn it back over to the Deputy Mayor.
09:08Thank you very much, Mayor.
09:10I now wanna bring up NYPD Chief of Transit,
09:13Joseph Galata, to say a few words.
09:19Good morning.
09:21There's a couple of points
09:22that help us keep people in the subway safe.
09:25And I wanna point a few of them out as we get started here.
09:28It's intelligent-based policing
09:30that allows us to rapidly deploy resources where we need it.
09:32The mayor and the police commissioner
09:34have given a lot of resources to transit
09:36to keep people safe.
09:37We made sure we moved them to where they were needed,
09:40the platforms and on the trains.
09:42The second piece for us is precision policing.
09:46That's going after recidivists
09:47that continually prey upon the subway system,
09:50and we make great inroads working on that aspect of it.
09:53And the last piece is something the mayor brought in
09:54when he came into office.
09:56It was his multi-agency response.
09:59And that's been key here as part of our subway safety plan
10:03in bringing that forward with the PATH program.
10:06They're looking for people
10:07that cannot take care of themselves.
10:09But it's more than that.
10:11These officers go out with their partners, clinicians,
10:14Department of Homeless Services,
10:16and they meet people on the street.
10:18And sometimes it's someone who can't care for themselves,
10:20but other times, like the mayor said,
10:22it's someone who may need shoes, socks,
10:26a warm place to stay for a while,
10:27and often it's finding shelter for people.
10:30What that does as we go forward with this is it builds trust.
10:33It's very important that it builds trust.
10:35These officers learn who the people are out here.
10:37They learn who they are.
10:39I've been out there with them, with the mayor,
10:40and we've seen it firsthand, and it works.
10:44And it's these three elements, really,
10:45that have brought us to great reductions.
10:485% last year, and then this year, already 28%.
10:52That's the hard work of the men and women in transit system.
10:54And then the multi-agency response team
10:56is really taking the mental health aspect of this,
10:59which is so important,
11:00and I want to thank the mayor for that.
11:08Thank you, Chief Golada.
11:10Let me now bring up the commissioner
11:12for the Department of Social Services, Molly Wasso-Park.
11:18In New York City, more than 97% of people
11:21experiencing homelessness are sheltered,
11:23but that 3% of people represents a true concern
11:28for the agency, for the administration,
11:30and for New Yorkers in general,
11:31and we really focus on how we can best serve
11:34our fellow New Yorkers who are experiencing
11:37unsheltered homelessness.
11:39And at the Department of Homeless Services,
11:40we take a three-pronged approach to that.
11:44And it starts with outreach.
11:45We have outreach workers out 24-7, 365 days a year,
11:51on the subway and above ground on the streets as well.
11:55I'm particularly grateful to welcome
11:57William Williams here today, one of our outreach workers.
12:01I think this is the hardest job in New York City,
12:03and I'm really grateful for the men and women,
12:06both DHS employees and our contracted providers
12:10who do this every day.
12:11We're out, we are, I'm echoing a phrase
12:13that was used before, building trust, engaging with people.
12:17We are really pleased with the results of the PATH program,
12:20bringing together outreach workers, clinicians.
12:23At DHS, we've been able to triple the number of nurses
12:25that we have on staff so that we can engage people,
12:29build the trust, and help people convince people
12:32to come inside.
12:33And coming inside is part two of the continuum.
12:37It is really critical that we have appropriate options
12:40to be able to offer people.
12:41Outreach is great, but the next step is coming indoors.
12:44It doesn't do any good if we don't have options
12:47to offer people.
12:49In this administration, we've been focused
12:51on creating the options that are right
12:53for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
12:56We have about 4,000 low-barrier beds now,
12:58and the mayor and the state of the city
13:00addressed earlier this year,
13:01announced we're bringing that to 4,900.
13:04We will have the first of those new additional beds
13:06coming online this summer.
13:08We know these work.
13:10Clients who are placed in low-barrier beds
13:12in our safe havens and stabilization beds
13:15stay indoors longer and are more likely
13:17to connect to permanent housing.
13:19And that permanent housing connection
13:20is the third part of the prong.
13:23It's not enough to just get somebody into shelter.
13:26At the end of the day, everybody deserves
13:28a place to call home.
13:29And in this administration, more than 3,000 people
13:32who were living on our streets, living on our subways,
13:35are now living in safe, permanent, affordable housing.
13:38And to me, that is the true metric of our success.
13:41Those are people who had fallen through every crack
13:45that exists in society and who now are permanently housed.
13:49That's what gets us out of bed in the morning.
13:52We're so grateful for the partnership that we have
13:54with NYPD and with the rest of the administration
13:57so that we are able to continue to do that work
14:00and to bring our neighbors indoors.
14:02So thank you very much.
14:06Thank you, Commissioner.
14:07So as you see, today's announcement shows the strength
14:10in reaching out to the most vulnerable New Yorkers
14:13with empathy and care to help people
14:16and to help us meet people where they are.
14:18And importantly, to make sure the city
14:20is offering the support that meets everyone's unique needs,
14:24whether that's in shelter, housing,
14:26mental health support, or medical care.
14:29So the work of helping people move from living unsheltered,
14:32as the Commissioner said, on the subway,
14:33to a shelter and eventually permanent housing is the work.
14:36It's very complex.
14:37But as mentioned here to explain to us the complexities
14:41of the work that we're doing,
14:42we're gonna have to bring you up to say a few words.
14:46Good morning, everyone.
14:47Good morning.
14:49My name is William Williams.
14:51I've been with JCC, which is the Department of DHS
14:54for two and a half years.
14:56Formerly, I was a certified care coordinator
15:00for individuals with serious persistent mental illness
15:04governed by DOHMH for a nonprofit
15:08pertaining to Kendra's Law.
15:11I've had a unique experience to witness,
15:14not only within the subways, but within our communities,
15:17how adverse the issues that our client population faces
15:21and not only obtaining housing or shelter,
15:25but also a myriad of intermediate needs and immediate needs
15:28that they may have upon emergency
15:31that prevent them from going into housing.
15:33One thing I love about the PATH program
15:35and our partner providers is that
15:37between the DHS nurses and NYPD,
15:41it allows us to collectively as a team
15:43bring a skillset of knowledge and unique experience
15:47and abilities to be able to encounter most problems
15:51that we encounter while engaging our client population
15:54within the subway.
15:57There on 34th Street, Penn Station,
16:00it came into play where I noticed an individual young man
16:04sitting on the platform with his legs dangling
16:08towards the tracks.
16:09And as I was able to notice it,
16:10NYPD was able to traverse quickly across the platform
16:16as I engaged the individual,
16:18but they were skillfully laid back to let me engage him,
16:23to calm him down, not to seem as if it's a threat,
16:26but more so that we're providing service.
16:29And thankfully I was able to engage him
16:31before the train was to arrive, which is about six minutes.
16:35In doing so, as I'm engaging him,
16:38NYPD is closely moving in to where as though
16:41if any adverse action that he decided to take at the time,
16:45he would be protected.
16:47I think this is just but one of many examples
16:49that we've engaged in and we've experiences
16:52through this program.
16:54I look forward to the continuance of the program.
16:58And I thank you guys for your time and attention today.
17:03Thank you, William.
17:05Thank you so much, William.
17:08But we commend the work of the DHS outreach workers,
17:12nurses and our partners in law enforcement
17:14who take part in these operations
17:16and who have brought us
17:17to this milestone accomplishment today,
17:19just in time to mark Mental Health Week.
17:21So I'll turn things over back to the mayor
17:24to take on topic questions.
17:25Thank you, thank you.
17:26Now I think both Williams,
17:29your story is a powerful story,
17:31and it shows the coordination
17:32and why you need that mental health worker there.
17:35Because sometimes the presence of a uniform officer
17:38can escalate and it just shows
17:41that perfect combination of path.
17:43And I think the numbers should not be lost
17:45on what Commissioner Park stated.
17:4797% of New Yorkers who need housing are housed,
17:52but that 3% was historically ignored.
17:55And that 3% was not only an endangerment,
17:58oftentimes to themselves, but to others.
18:00And going after that 3% is challenging.
18:04You have to build trust.
18:05It's repeated communications.
18:07It's finding the right combination
18:09to talk someone off the streets
18:11and find the care that they deserve.
18:12That is why PATH and SCOUT are the programs
18:16that were needed to get in the subway station
18:18and get on the streets to address
18:20the chronic homelessness problem
18:22that the city was facing when we came into office.
18:25So why don't we ask a few questions?
18:29Juliette, how are you?
18:30I'm all right, how are you?
18:33Where are you as far as involuntary commitment?
18:35You know, what's your next step for that?
18:38And what else do you need to do for involuntary commitment?
18:42It's in the hands of Albany now.
18:44You know, we have strongly believed
18:46that when you encounter someone
18:48that is in danger to themselves and to others,
18:52if you're out in the streets at 13 degree weather,
18:56you don't have any shoes on,
18:58your clothing are soiled, you're talking to yourselves,
19:03they're real indicators that someone needs help
19:06and they may not know they need help.
19:09And so giving us the authority and codify in law
19:14that we're able to remove them
19:16and give them the care they deserve
19:18is something we're fighting for
19:20and we're hoping Albany understands that
19:22and give us the power to do it.
19:23What's the perception that you're getting
19:25when you go up there and talk to them about it?
19:29Our team, Deputy Mayor Tiffany Raspberry
19:33and Diane Savino, former state senator,
19:38they are there as we always do during this time of the year,
19:42everyone knows this stance.
19:43They're there constantly educating our lawmakers
19:46and people identified, when I say people,
19:49those lawmakers identified that this is an issue.
19:52How do we now come together to get a bill
19:55that the governor introduced?
19:56She's part of this conversation
19:58and how do we get that bill through?
20:00This is part of the Albany dance
20:01and we're gonna dance until the music stop playing.
20:06How are you?
20:07WMIC, Diane, thanks.
20:08Yes.
20:09Good to be here.
20:10I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit
20:12about how the scout teams,
20:14whether or not they work with the PATH teams,
20:16are the scout teams doing enough in your view?
20:20What exactly is the status of the scout
20:22that's the governor's program for involuntary?
20:25No, you're saying which one?
20:27They both doing enough?
20:29Is scout doing enough?
20:30We're talking about PATH here,
20:32but is scout doing enough?
20:33Great question.
20:34You know, hand in hand with PATH
20:36or are they two really separate things?
20:38Great, great question.
20:38The complexities that are associated
20:43with removing people that have been homeless for many years,
20:48you need an all hands on deck.
20:50And what we were willing to do,
20:53we were willing to partner with the scout team
20:56as well as the PATH team.
20:58And we're gonna continue to look at other ways
21:00as Chief Scalata stated,
21:03until we find the right combination.
21:05We have been successful with PATH.
21:07We've seen some success with scout.
21:11Both are playing a role because of,
21:14you know, not until you walk these stations
21:18and see how hard it is making those encounters,
21:22people can just tell you they don't want service.
21:25And so it's imperative to have
21:26all of these different initiatives operating together.
21:30And where it's not in competition, it's in alignment.
21:34And we thank the governor for the scout team.
21:36And we think that PATH and scout,
21:38and even some of the volunteerism
21:40that we see that people are in the subway
21:42that's not officially attached to any governmental entity,
21:45they are playing a role.
21:47And so all hands on deck, all New Yorkers must be engaged
21:50in getting our unhoused housed in a safe environment.
21:55Hi, Mr. Mayor.
21:56What's up, Kelly?
21:57I'm good.
21:58I wanted to ask you,
21:59Governor Hogan now pushing state lawmakers
22:02to put a mask ban on the subway.
22:05Would you be supportive of that for this year?
22:07I mean, we're talking about safety.
22:09And then I wanted to ask the commissioner,
22:11you mentioned options for getting homeless people
22:14off the streets and into housing.
22:16Our recent report showed that the city is reaching them,
22:19but they're not going into housing.
22:20I wanted to get your thoughts on that.
22:22So I think you're referring to the local law 34 data.
22:26The city council bill required very specific data metrics
22:31that don't actually align particularly well
22:34with operations and how they work.
22:36So when we engage people during an encampment cleanup,
22:41and DHS is always out there,
22:44we notice before the cleanup happens.
22:48We are there in advance.
22:49We are there when the cleanup happens as well.
22:52The goal is to get people to come inside
22:55and into shelter into a safe haven bed.
22:58And we know we have very successful results
23:00in getting people to come into those.
23:04Over the last several years,
23:06we've had tens of thousands of instances
23:09where people have come inside.
23:11What we aren't doing in the moment of an encampment cleanup
23:15is making permanent housing connections.
23:18Not because we don't believe permanent housing is important.
23:20We absolutely do.
23:22But because in that particular moment,
23:24it's very difficult to make a decision for a client
23:28or for an outreach worker
23:30about what is the best permanent solution for you
23:32in that moment.
23:34Instead, come indoors, get a meal, get a shower, sleep,
23:39and then we can have a conversation
23:41about what is the next best option from there.
23:43Georgia?
23:45Is it Georgia?
23:46Where's Tina?
23:47Chrissy, go ahead, sorry about that.
23:50Mayor, do you think that the state should be doing more
23:53with side beds to help with the homeless crisis?
23:57I think we all can do more.
23:59I think we all can do more.
24:02This is a huge problem.
24:05Going back to what Commissioner Park state,
24:08those three percenters are visibly alarming to many people.
24:13Those three percenters have a long time
24:16on being in a homeless environment.
24:19And so I think all of us can do more.
24:21We're gonna continue to do more on our city end.
24:24As we learn more, we will do more.
24:26And we're gonna continue to solicit support from the state
24:29as well and the federal government.
24:32Mayor, two questions.
24:34The stats speak for themselves.
24:35I'm curious if you're gonna put them in a nice envelope
24:38and send them to the USDOT
24:40based on what Secretary Duffy said yesterday.
24:42And also, what do you say to New Yorkers,
24:44and we've talked about this a lot,
24:45the perception versus the stats.
24:47What do you say to New Yorkers,
24:49and I want them to be frank,
24:50I see a mentally ill homeless person
24:52almost every day on my commute in and out of the office
24:55or to get to your events.
24:57What do you say to those New Yorkers who say
24:58they just don't think this is working?
25:00Yeah, no, and listen, perception is reality.
25:04We get that.
25:05This is a very complicated issue that we're facing.
25:11And I walk the stations a lot,
25:12Chief Gulotta alluded to that,
25:14we spent some time down here.
25:16And the amount of time as our outreach workers shared,
25:21takes a long time to build that trust.
25:23And then we have frequent homeless individuals.
25:27The person, if you would take a moment
25:29to just see the person that you're seeing constantly,
25:33oftentimes it's the same person.
25:35And it gives the presence of that is everywhere
25:39when in fact, it's that 3%.
25:41If you see that 3% every day
25:44when you enter the subway station,
25:45you swipe your MetroCard, you see them,
25:48you see that same person at 34th Street Station
25:51when you get off the train,
25:52you have, there's a feeling that,
25:54okay, wait a minute, this is pervasive.
25:56No, this is a small number of people
25:59that they have been historically ignored.
26:01And so I understand New Yorkers are feeling that way.
26:04That's why we decided not to ignore it.
26:06And we have put in place something
26:09that's really money consuming, time consuming,
26:13and it takes a lot of patience.
26:15This outreach worker here, as he gave you,
26:17I think was a perfect story.
26:21Seeing someone's legs dangling over the platform,
26:24that could have easily been a person
26:25that would have been struck by a train.
26:28He used his training to go approach them.
26:30The police use their training to stay at a safe distance,
26:33to not aggravate the situation.
26:35That is what it takes to get this done.
26:38And so I understand New York is feeling that way,
26:41but trust me, when you look at the numbers,
26:43it shows that what we are doing is actually working.
26:46Has your team begun engaging with Washington,
26:48sending them down this numbers yet?
26:50Yes, and we're going to invite folks
26:53to come down and walk the system with us
26:55to see what we're doing.
26:57It is so important to see on the ground
26:59what we are doing.
27:00And it really is a model of what we've done
27:03in this city around homelessness
27:05is a model that could be duplicated
27:06across the entire country.
27:08You look at other cities
27:10and you see encampments along highways.
27:12You see people living on the streets.
27:14You see people cooking on the street,
27:16using the streets as restroom facilities.
27:19You see a difference here than what you see there.
27:23The numbers that this team put together
27:26dealing with the encampment crisis we inherited,
27:29dealing with the homeless issue, the mental health issues,
27:32this is really a model.
27:33And I'm going to bring and invite
27:35our federal lawmakers to come in
27:36and see what we're actually, what we are doing.
27:40Thank you guys so much.
27:41When are you doing that, Mr. Mayor?
27:42When do you want them to come?
27:44Let's see if you got this.
27:46Yeah.