Photo Courtesy of Don Pollard/Office of the Governor
“By deploying outreach professionals to targeted areas, we will help improve safety and ensure New Yorkers experiencing homelessness have the support they need,” Gov. Hochul said.
By Forum Staff
Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday announced expanded initiatives to address homelessness and help provide intensive outreach, engagement, and care coordination services on the streets and in the subway in New York City, and announced the launch of a Request for Proposals for nonprofit organizations to operate specialized “Safe Options Support” teams consisting of direct outreach workers as well as clinicians to help more New Yorkers come off of streets and into shelters and/or housing.
To provide immediate and expanded assistance to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness in the subway system, the State will be deploying approximately 20 public employees, contracted nonprofit provider staff, and volunteers into the subway system within one week. This group will include behavioral health professionals that will connect New Yorkers experiencing homelessness to critical services as well as shelter. The State will closely coordinate with the City of New York and the MTA to deploy these professionals to areas with most immediate and acute needs and will continuously evaluate whether deployments need to be adjusted depending on needs.
In addition, on Friday the State Office of Mental Health issued a RFP that invites eligible nonprofit organizations to submit applications to create and implement Hochul’s SOS teams, which will not only conduct direct one-on-one outreach with New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, but will also include on-street and in-subway clinicians, nurses, social workers, and behavioral health specialists, so that the street-to-referral logjam is broken, and that a comprehensive suite of much-needed critical services can be provided immediately to New Yorkers in need. In total, OMH seeks to deploy up to 20 SOS teams this year, including four teams in New York City by the early Spring, an additional eight teams in New York City by the summer, and the final eight teams in high-needs regions throughout the state by the end of the year, investing $11 million in Fiscal Year 2023 and ramping up to $21 million annually for future years.
The SOS teams will greatly expand coverage and capacity and will work closely with the New York City Department of Homeless Services to ensure there is complementary and broader coverage of the availability of services. By including clinicians on the teams, referral for services will be streamlined. In addition, referrals will be coordinated through the SOS Referral Hub, in collaboration with several City and State agencies, to ensure rapid connection and to prevent any duplication of services. Individual referrals can be made by numerous entities, including but not limited to, outreach teams, hospitals, family and caregivers, community providers, police and the MTA.
In order to enhance collaboration and coordination between the State and City governments, Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced that the SOS teams will be complemented by a citywide training collaborative which will include the MTA, NYPD, the New York City Department of Homeless Services, the NYS Office of Mental Health, the NYS Office of Addiction Supports and Services, the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, and other key stakeholders, which will ensure a collaborative and holistic response to the homelessness crisis.
“Too many New Yorkers are sleeping on our streets and subways—they need resources and support to get back on their feet,” Hochul said. “By deploying outreach professionals to targeted areas, we will help improve safety and ensure New Yorkers experiencing homelessness have the support they need.”
