West Side Pols Push Varied Measures They Say Will Address Homelessness

Two politicians representing Manhattan’s parts of the West Side are pushing measures that they believe will help homeless people, many of whom are struggling with addiction or severe mental illness, find stability and get off the streets.

State Assembly Member Tony Simone rallied in support of the “S.U.P.P.O.R.T. Act” (Supportive Interventions Act) on Tuesday, Feb. 25, which would assign some criminal defendants a mandatory psychiatric support team prior to their release.

He’s getting a boost on the legislation from State Senator Brad-Hoylmal Sigal, who represents similar neighborhoods: the West Village, Chelsea and parts of Midtown West. The bill also has the backing of Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg.

Both lawmakers also are both pushing for the passage of the “H.E.L.P. Act” (Harness Expertise of Licensed Professionals Act), which would expand the range of people–from physicians to social workers, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses–that can recommend involuntary hospitalization of mentally ill homeless people, which has historically been a hotly-debated issue. It remains to be seen if either bill will draw protest.

“As any New Yorker can tell you, we need to do more to address the mental health crisis on our streets and in our public transit system,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement. “That’s why Assemblymember Simone and I introduced the S.U.P.P.O.R.T Act (S.1744) to ensure that those with mental health issues who are deemed not fit to stand trial are connected with critical mental health resources to help them successfully reenter society.” He also gave a shout-out to the H.E.L.P. Act.

At the same rally, Simone pushed for the adoption of measures in his “SumNY” report, which he issued last month; it’s dubbed an analysis of the “intersecting crises of Substance Use, Homelessness, and Mental Illness.”

In addition to the suggestions that have crystallized into the two bills mentioned above, Simone’s report also advocates for a “housing first” solution that is popular amongst some researchers. “The strongest variable attributed to the rate of homelessness is the cost of housing,” he writes. “New York stands along with California as having the worst housing crisis in the country. Rents have soared as housing has lagged far behind demand.”

Simone report goes on to outline data that demonstrates both the human and fiscal toll of this housing crisis: “Data compiled by the NYC Comptroller has found the average cost to keep someone in supportive housing for 30 days to be $2,040. This is compared to $4,080 to keep somebody in a shelter, $42,420 to incarcerate them at Rikers Island, and $108, 270 for hospitalization.”

Simone also wants NYC’s existing supportive housing network be entirely switched from the New York Supportive Housing Program to its successor, the Empire State Supporting Housing Initiative, which provides a far greater amount of financial support. Some households are still enrolled in the former.

Simone’s report doesn’t estimate what the overall fiscal impact of any sizable increase in involuntary hospitalization would be, however, instead calling attention to Mark Levine’s proposal to expand the capacity of the Manhattan Psychiatric Center on Randall’s Island. He also calls for a general increase in available psychiatric beds, as well as concrete steps to ease cost burdens on psychiatric workers, namely by providing them with targeted student loan forgiveness and permanent annual cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments.

Simone has earned support on his “SumNY” plan from Urban Pathways, a nonprofit that adheres to the “housing first” methodology. “It is imperative that we recognize secure housing and individualized support as the foundation upon which homeless New Yorkers can build their ideal future. With a 53% increase in homelessness in New York State last year, we have an obligation to strengthen this foundation in the State budget this year,” Urban Pathways CEO Fred Shack said in a statement.