As NYC’s Homelessness & Mental Health Crises Worsen, Advocates Demand Non-Police, Peer-led Response

May 15, 2023

Baerga v. City of New York, CCIT-NYC, Disability Justice, Health Justice, News, Transforming Mental Health Crisis Response

CCIT-NYC | Correct Crisis Intervention Today

Correct Crisis Intervention Today – NYC (CCIT-NYC), a coalition of activists, community and non-profit members, and other advocates working to transform the City’s response to the more than 200,000 mental health crisis calls received annually, held a rally to call for adoption of a non-police, peer-led health team approach.

CCIT-NYC has released a statement regarding Mayor Eric Adams’ proposal to increase funding for B-HEARD, New York City’s current crisis response pilot program. NYLPI is an active member of CCIT-NYC. Ruth Lowenkron, director of Disability Justice at NYLPI, was quoted in the statement:

“We urge the Council to mandate fundamental changes to the B-HEARD ‘non-police’ pilot, before approving additional funding for it. B-HEARD continues to result in police responding to well over 80 percent of mental health crisis calls – even more than when the pilot started out over a year ago. The B-HEARD pilot is deeply flawed and must be overhauled immediately to ensure that not one more person experiencing a mental health crisis is killed at the hands of the police.” – Ruth Lowenkron

Read the full statement here.

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