It is expected that, on Thursday, the executive budget of the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio, will include $54.4 million in funding for social service and mental health programs.
Chirlane McCray, New York's first lady and known public advocate for pushing the city's office to develop its mental health services, announced the plans last Tuesday at the Empire State Building. In a rare interview session with the media, McCray said she has spent the last several months surveying the city, talking about the pervasiveness of psychological health problems, often applying her own family's struggles to highlight the subject. She met with New Yorkers at schools, talked to victims of domestic violence and consulted with mental health advocates, trying to learn about what works and what does not.
Earlier this year, McCray publicly made her thoughts known on the current mental health services, and she proposed to reevaluate how New York City should appropriate its resources and private funds to address the crisis regarding mental health.
That proposed plan would check disparities between neighborhoods in terms of how mental health services are offered and present how not addressing mental health issues affects New York's economy, according to McCray.
The local government plans to use the allotted annual funds to hire counselors and social workers from agencies across the city so that they can provide mental health services in New York City's five justice centers serving victims of domestic violence and all contracted family shelters. Besides the $54.4 million in this year's budget, there will be a continuation of $78.3 million in fiscal year 2017.
The breakdown of funds includes $11.2 million for this year and $13.2 million in 2016 to deliver mental health exams in all 130 community schools. There will also be $1.7 million this year and $3.7 million next year allocated for psychiatric assessments and after-school therapeutic arts programs for kids under 21 at Rikers Island, and substance abuse treatments for young people ages 16 to 21. Almost $9 million will be used for placing social workers in family shelters. There is also $800,000 in this year's budget and $1.4 million in 2016's budget to supply medical social workers at the city's 20 largest senior centers. An additional $250,000 will be arranged for healthy relationship training for adopted teenagers.
"Please don't hold me to this. I think we'll spend a lot of money in the beginning," McCray said. "But it's actually going to save us a lot of money down the line."
Photo: Bill de Blasio | Flickr
