August 6, 2015 For Immediate Release: August 6, 2015 COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS STATEMENT ON NYC SAFE ANNOUNCEMENT NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the launch of “NYC Safe.” In response, the Coalition for the Homeless issued this statement from President & CEO Mary Brosnahan: “This Administration – from the mayor, the first lady, and the deputy mayors on down – is coming from a completely different, much more informed and practical perspective than we’ve seen in the past 20 years. The mayor clearly recognizes the magnitude of the homeless crisis and investing in professional intervention on the streets is a critical first step. But the tale of whether or not these initiatives will prove successful will be told only after they commit the permanent housing resources to accompany and bolster the efficacy of these teams. A major commitment of housing with onsite support services for New Yorkers with mental illness must come in short order, if we hope to see any lasting difference in the visible suffering we all encounter each day. “In addition, every analysis of mandated observed medication has tied success rates directly to whether or not the person under court order to take medications is stably housed. And that just makes sense: If you want someone with severe and persistent mental illness to adhere to a medication regimen, that person cannot also be constantly moving from place to place, consumed with the daily struggle to survive. There must also be a reliable place to go to observe that person actually taking his or her medication.”
