Crisis to Care
Crisis to Care was the Progressive Caucus’s 2025 (FY26) budget campaign calling for investments to tackle the dual mental and public health crises that have long gone unaddressed in New York City.
Crisis to Care won $80 million in critical investments for New York City’s mental health systems, including $46 million to make mental health treatment teams permanent and $34 million in new funding, including:
- $15.5 million to expand mobile mental health treatment teams
- $4.5 million to hire more Peers for health programs
- $4.8 million for 380 new Justice-Involved Supportive Housing units
- $2.5 million for new Crisis Respite Centers
- $3 million for syringe cleanup
- $2.7 million to support domestic violence survivors’ housing stability
- $1 million for a pilot program to provide EMS workers with mental health services
We’re proud to have built momentum for and grown public awareness around the Crisis to Care campaign throughout the 2025 budget process:
- The City Council Speaker included the Crisis to Care campaign’s budget items in the Council’s preliminary budget response.
- Gothamist covered the City’s failure to provide mobile mental health treatment services for the 1,000+ New Yorkers on program waitlists.
- 12 community organizations that provide services for domestic violence survivors sent a letter to the Mayor and Speaker urging them to include items from the campaign in the City budget.
These wins are the first leg of a multi-year campaign to invest in a safer, healthier New York, one that delivers quality care and dignified conditions for frontline workers. We must continue scaling up evidence-based solutions and building up our city’s comprehensive mental health network.
Crisis to Care Supporters
We could not have achieved the Crisis to Care campaign’s successes without the support of many elected officials, service providers, policy advocates, and labor unions. See their statements about the campaign below.
"Supporting the vulnerable is vital to lasting public safety and that's why I also want to express my support for the Crisis to Care agenda championed by the Council's Progressive Caucus which would provide vitally needed support to those who need it most. Investments in mental health care, harm reduction, services for survivors of gender-based violence, and support of people experiencing homelessness will prevent crimes of desperation, improve transit safety, and make our communities stronger."
Eric Gonzalez
Brooklyn District Attorney
"As the number of unsheltered New Yorkers has risen to all-time highs, the Progressive Caucus' focus on breaking the hospital-to street-to jail-and-back cycle for people with serious mental illness is the right move. The Crisis to Care plan is an important step towards ending street homelessness for people with serious mental illness in our city and investing in evidence-based solutions like wrap-around intervention teams and supportive housing infrastructure, rather than ineffective homeless sweeps. I urge the Adams Administration to include it in its Executive Budget."
Brad Lander
NYC Comptroller
"Mental health has been a central focus for my office, a central issue for New Yorkers, and I’m proud to have successfully pushed for developing and funding a care-centered approach. This Crisis to Care agenda presents a pathway to strengthening the city’s mental health network, including by eliminating waitlists for critical services, developing EMS Wellness & Peer Support program, and forming a Crisis Response Roundtable to establish a foundation for positive reform. I commend the work that the Progressive Caucus is doing to make sure New Yorkers in greatest need receive the support they deserve, and will continue to work with my partners in government to advance concrete ways to create those improvements.”
Jumaane Williams
NYC Public Advocate
“The mental health crisis impacts every community across our city—reaching our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and loved ones, often in silence. As a former mental health care provider, I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of a system that fails to meet people where they are. The Crisis to Care plan represents a critical, long-overdue shift toward compassion, prevention, and equity. At City Hall, I remain committed to championing accessible, community-based mental health care—because mental health is public health, and every New Yorker deserves support, dignity, and healing,”
Farah Louis
NYC Council Member, District 45
“We can’t solve New York City’s mental health crisis with words alone – we need real plans and the funding to back them. Our current system fails both those in need of care as well as those who provide it, and I’m grateful to the Progressive Caucus for recognizing that New Yorkers deserve better. Crisis to Care offers a tangible path forward with interventions rooted in equity, prevention, and compassion, and I am proud to support this budget plan for New York City,”
Antonio Reynoso
Brooklyn Borough President
“New Yorkers, like all humans, deserve to be safe, healthy, and well; the Crisis to Care Plan will help make this a city that supports those needs,”
Jabari Brisport
NY State Senator, District 25
“The Crisis to Care plan would be an excellent step toward ensuring we support New Yorkers before they face crises like becoming houseless or incarcerated. That means using medical-based interventions, expanding mental health services, and eliminating long waitlists for those same services. It also means investing in the city's crisis response and mental health workforce so that they are treated with respect and dignity, and are properly equipped to help people in need. I applaud this bold initiative.”
Julia Salazar
NY State Senator, District 18
“As a nurse and a mother, I’ve seen firsthand how our mental health system fails to meet people where they are—too often responding with punishment instead of care. The Crisis to Care plan is a bold and necessary shift toward dignity, healing, and true public safety. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues on every level of government to push for a system that puts people first—because mental health is public health, and every New Yorker deserves support and treatment, not criminalization and jail.”
Phara Souffrant Forrest
NY State Assembly Member, District 57
“New York City has been facing a growing mental health crisis that has not been, and cannot be, solved by more police, criminalization, or incarceration. We must invest in community-based mental healthcare, housing-first models, and supporting people before they descend into escalating crisis. I love this proposal from our City Council partners, and I’m proud to support it.”
Emily Gallagher
NY State Assembly Member, District 50
"The New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus is proud to endorse “Crisis to Care,” the New York City Council Progressive Caucus’s priority budget campaign for the FY26 cycle.
Together, we are calling for city dollars to be spent on programs rooted in real solutions to our public safety challenges, solutions that eliminate waitlists to critical mental health services, follow best medical practices, and that provide dignity for frontline mental health and crisis response workers.
Our members are extremely heartened to see Crisis to Care priorities reflected in the Council’s Preliminary Budget. We will fight alongside the Speaker and our colleagues in the Council to deliver a budget that funds real solutions to keep New Yorkers safer and solve some of New York’s most difficult problems."
NYC City Council LGBTQ+ Caucus
“In contrast to Mayor Adams’ strategy of relying on more and more policing to address public health challenges, which is both ineffective and harmful, New York City needs a truly transformative approach to public safety—one that ensures all New Yorkers have the resources they need to thrive. Investing in IMT and FACT teams, peer crisis counselors, affordable housing, and mobile syringe services is a critical first step. These measures will do far more to create real safety than the mayor’s relentless push to criminalize poverty, homelessness, and mental illness.”
Loyda Colón
Justice Committee Executive Director and Spokesperson
Communities United for Police Reform
“The People’s Plan proudly endorses the Progressive Caucus' Public Safety Package as a crucial step toward a city that prioritizes care over criminalization. New Yorkers deserve investments in housing, mental health care, and community-based safety—rather than failed carceral strategies. This vision aligns directly with our People’s Budget Campaign, and we’re committed to fighting for a budget that puts people first.”
Zara Nasir
Executive Director
The People's Plan NYC
“We know that the safest communities are the ones with the most resources, not the ones with the most police and jails. This is why it’s so critical to talk about community investments when we talk about public safety. I want our city to be safe and flourish, just like most people. It’s care and support that will make this city better – not more criminalization. The solutions are out there, but it’s a matter of political will. Low-barrier housing & building up our health, mental health and harm reduction infrastructure: these investments save lives and keep our communities safe and whole!”
Neil Berry
Leader
VOCAL-NY
“We all deserve a city that takes care of people at every age and stage of life; that prioritizes cracking down on corruption over fare evasion; that focuses on moving people into housing not jails; that responds to people in crisis with healthcare, not handcuffs. We're grateful for the Progressive Caucus's leadership putting forward concrete policies to get NYC closer to being the caring city we deserve.”
Sara Eckhouse
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
“Every New Yorker deserves safety, justice, and care. The Progressive Caucus’s ‘Crisis to Care’ campaign will deliver on that promise with comprehensive, community-based solutions—breaking cycles of instability, building out a continuum of mental healthcare, and funding more supportive housing units to meet high demand. It will also ensure that the frontline workers delivering these essential services are respected and fairly compensated for their work. Fearmongering and theatrics won’t make New Yorkers safer: instead, we need research-supported practices like these that prevent crime, respond to crisis, and reduce violence.”
Alana Sivin
Director, Greater Justice New York Initiative
Vera Institute of Justice
“We've heard the Mayor say time and again that he wants to close the pipeline that feeds Rikers. But instead, he's spent the past three years pushing people into it, and there are now hundreds more people on Rikers who are diagnosed with serious mental illness. Why would we let people sit on waiting lists for months and years to access services that we know are more effective and less expensive than Rikers? It's time for New York City to spend our money on the things that work, and we're grateful to the Progressive Caucus for making this commitment to fight for a budget that invests in real safety and wellness.”
Darren Mack
Co-Director
Freedom Agenda
“Ensuring safety and stability for survivors of gender-based violence requires more than just providing shelter; it's about offering the tools they need to rebuild their lives with dignity. By increasing HOME+ funding for security alarms, lock changes/repairs, and flexible funding support, we can empower survivors to reclaim their sense of safety and peace of mind they deserve. This critical investment is not just a matter of funding; it's a lifeline for those who need it most, providing the security and resources essential for survivors to rebuild their lives and heal.”
Shan Huang
Associate Director, Special Programs
Womankind
“We are grateful that the Council’s Progressive Caucus is prioritizing investments in the mental health continuum of care in its FY26 budget campaign, Crisis to Care. This plan rightly centers on ensuring that well-compensated people with lived mental health experience play a central role in the crisis response system, recognizing they are best positioned to make a positive impact with individuals in need. Also welcome are the much-needed proposed enhanced investments in Justice Involved Supportive Housing (JISH) and expanded mobile treatment teams. Individuals with mental health concerns deserve wholistic, person-centered services rooted in genuine connection and communal well-being. These proven approaches work. It’s time for New York City to fully fund them.”
Pascale Leone
Executive Director
The Supportive Housing Network of New York
“During a time of political turmoil that will only exacerbate the need for mental health supports, I am proud to stand with the New York City Council Progressive Caucus calling for $61 million dollars in investments from Crisis to Care. The need for peers – people with lived mental health experience -- to be better integrated into the system is the key. They have the ability to support people at every stage of the continuum as they can connect to someone in a way that only those with lived experience can.”
Jordyn Rosenthal
Director of Advocacy
Community Access
“We need to treat poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness as conditions, not crimes. IMT [Intensive Mobile Treatment] makes ALL of us safer at a fraction of the cost of jail or a hospital stay.”
Patricia Haversham-Brown, LCSW, CASAC-G
Senior Director, Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT)
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES)
“The Progressive Caucus’s push for increased salaries for public defenders reflects the immense dedication and critical work our attorneys, social workers, and administrators do every day. Public defenders do far more than fight for dismissals—they protect families from separation, defend against civil intrusion, and ensure individuals can keep their homes, jobs, and futures intact. Our interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, social workers, and advocates work together to provide comprehensive support that addresses not just the immediate legal case, but the long-term stability of the individuals and families we serve. Yet, low salaries have led to high burnout, threatening the passion and commitment essential to providing effective counsel. Immediate and adequate funding for defender salaries is not just necessary—it is essential to sustaining the quality representation our communities rely on.”
Piyali Basak
Managing Director
Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
“As public defenders, we see people in crisis who are far too often met with legal system involvement, when they should have been met with care. The New York City Council Progressive Caucus’s Crisis to Care budget campaign recognizes that to address our city’s mental health crisis we need to prioritize services and compassionate public health solutions, not criminal and family court involvement. This plan will make great strides to build up NYC’s mental health infrastructure to ensure people get the treatment, housing, and programs they need.”
Lisa Schreibersdorf
Executive Director
Brookyln Defender Services
“The Crisis to Care Initiative is a crucial step in transforming mental health services for the city. It highlights the city's duty to support the mental well-being of EMS professionals, ensuring they have the resources to continue delivering high-quality pre-hospital care.”
Joseph Raneri, MPA, EMT-B
Executive Director
Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City Inc.
"The Crisis to Care plan sets out to ensure New York City fully funds services for people who need mental health services and provides dignified conditions for the workers who deliver that critical care. Many of our 1199SEIU members working in mental health care in this city deal with issues of chronic underfunding and a lack of resources daily. With the need for access to more mental health services constantly increasing, this funding a step in the right direction.
We also... call for the creation of a $1 million EMS wellness peer support pilot program. This drop in the bucket of funding coupled with the evidence-based programs contained in the package will save lives, save the city money, increase the quality of conditions of frontline workers, and make our city a safer place."
1199 SEIU
United Healthcare Workers East
“The Crisis to Care Initiative is a crucial step in transforming mental health services for the city. It highlights the city's duty to support the mental well-being of EMS professionals, ensuring they have the resources to continue delivering high-quality pre-hospital care.”
Lisa Ohta
President
Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA)
“[T]he Progressive Caucus’ Crisis to Care proposal would be instrumental to helping the thousands of New Yorkers that are in crisis.”
Dr. James Davis
President
Professional Staff Congress CUNY
Crisis to Care in the News
EMS peer support program included in budget
The Chief-Leader
July 4, 2025
“The city’s 11,000 EMS workers will soon have access to wellness programs, helping them better contend with the traumatic situations they deal with on a near-daily basis.
The programs, instituted through a $1 million pilot initiative backed by the Council’s Progressive Caucus as part of its “Crisis to Care” platform, was included in the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.”
Hellgate
April 8, 2025
“Another teen, Dee, with a bright smile but a commanding look, spoke about their struggles with mental health during the pandemic, as well as the lack of funding for each high school to have a mental health counselor. ‘If you really care about New York, Mayor Adams, you’ll listen to me and add at least $61 million to the budget to help fund these necessary programs. I beg you, no, I DEMAND you add these programs to the budget to strengthen New York City and make it feel like home for everyone,’ Dee said.”
NYC students call on Mayor Adams to invest more in schools, child care, and immigrant aid
Chalkbeat New York
April 8, 2025
“[B]ecause of a dire shortage of youth mental health providers, Dee was stuck on a waitlist for a year before they actually spoke to a therapist, they said… ‘I was lucky enough to be one of those kids who could wait that long,’ Dee said. ‘Some kids are slowly losing themselves to the pain in their brains.’ Dee called on the city to invest $61 million in ‘Crisis to Care,” an effort to expand mental health services and reduce waitlists.
NYC Council press officials to cut wait times for mobile mental health teams
Gothamist
March 24, 2025
“City Council members pressed health officials Monday on the long wait times New Yorkers with serious mental illnesses face when trying to enroll with teams that connect them with treatment and housing.
There are currently 672 people waiting to be added to the caseload of one of the city’s Intensive Mobile Treatment teams, Dr. H. Jean Wright II, executive deputy commissioner of the city health department’s Division of Mental Hygiene, said at Monday’s City Council hearing on the health budget.
Similar Assertive Community Treatment teams have a 682-person wait list, Wright said.”
Opinion: A healthier and safer city requires real solutions
by Council Members Sandy Nurse & Tiffany Cabán
City & State NY
January 15, 2025
“The Progressive Caucus is committed to ensuring quality care for the people who need it and dignified work conditions for those who provide that care. We will soon be releasing a plan focused on the cornerstones of a strong mental health and public safety infrastructure: 1) ensuring our city delivers a crisis response system that staffs up teams with medical experts and peer specialists to meet needs; 2) scaling up a fully funded mental health care system; and 3) uplifting the material conditions of the workers who provide this vital care.”