NYLPI provides legal representation and advocacy assistance to people with mental illness in New York City. NYLPI resources help people in institutional settings as well as people in the community. The Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Watch (IOC Watch) project was created by NYLPI and a number of other advocacy groups including the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Disability Advocates, Inc. (DAI), the Mental Health Empowerment Project (MHEP), the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS), the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the Urban Justice Center. IOC Watch is a response to New York's new involuntary outpatient commitment law and seeks to monitor implementation of the new law, including harmful unintended consequences of the legislation. NYLPI also has a project that focuses on ensuring access to appropriate mental health care for children. This project provides advocacy and legal representation to children with mental health needs, and education to parents, guardians, and those who work with children. The children's mental health care project provides training and advocacy on proper discharge planning for children who are hospitalized, access to outpatient treatment, and access to mental health care for children under the age of five. NYLPI staff outreach to community groups to assess systemic barriers to providing appropriate mental health care to children, and provide individual advocacy and support.
In addition, NYLPI provides training to advocates and consumers regarding the rights of people with mental illness. This training has included Continuing Legal Education sessions on IOC for attorneys (including court attorneys and Mental Hygiene Legal Services attorneys), ADA training, and presentations on Brad H., among others.
