Harmony NYC: Wellness Meets Community

NYC is in a mental health state of emergency, and I will declare it as your Mayor on day one.

We’ve ignored our mental wellness for far too long. People are hurting others and hurt themselves. And in the most diverse city in the world, we must value every life without exception.

Every New Yorker must have access to the mental health care they need in the language they speak.

We can achieve harmony in our city together by finally rehabilitating existing facilities, building new ones, creating a robust workforce pipeline, and integrating supportive housing to address the most severe cases.

This holistic approach would position New York City as a leader in mental health reform and justice, emphasizing care, fairness, and transformative change.

I am offering a citywide effort to bolster public health and safety by weaving mental health care into every aspect of public life—health, housing, education, workplaces, and community support.

Together we will break down silos and foster partnerships to deliver preventive care, emergency responses, and holistic well-being.

  • Improved mental health outcomes across all demographics.

  • Reduced homelessness and mental health-related emergencies.

  • Stronger communities with cultural and neighborhood-based resilience.

Goals:

PRINCIPLES IN LINE WITH NYC VALUES

Accessibility:

Ensure every New Yorker has seamless access to mental health care, regardless of zip code or income.

Collaboration:

An all-hands-on-deck approach, bringing together government, nonprofits, businesses, and residents to harmonize mental health care delivery.

Community Healing:

Equip communities with tools to care for their own mental health that resonate with the cultural diversity of NYC while reducing stigma.

Mindfulness & Prevention:

Shift from crisis response to proactive mental wellness through education and workplace integration.

Holistic Wellness:

Incorporate physical, social, and emotional health into the mental health care model.

Current State of Mental Health Infrastructure in NYC

  • NYC Health + Hospitals operates 11 public hospitals, but only a handful have dedicated psychiatric emergency departments. These facilities are often overburdened, with long wait times for psychiatric care.

  • NYC has approximately 3,000 inpatient psychiatric beds, far below the demand for both short-term and long-term care. According to the state’s Office of Mental Health, the state’s psychiatric bed capacity decreased by 1,849, declining from 9,320 to 7,471 between 2014 and 2022.

  • Hundreds of outpatient mental health clinics operate across NYC, but many are underfunded, and services are unevenly distributed, leaving low-income and underserved neighborhoods with inadequate access.

  • NYC currently has around 15,000 supportive housing units. However, there is a documented (by Supportive Housing Network of New York) need for an additional 25,000 units to address the mental health crisis, particularly for unhoused individuals with severe mental illness.

    • The city has begun piloting the B-HEARD program, but coverage is inconsistent, and most 911 mental health calls still default to NYPD response. B-HEARD only responds to roughly a third of all eligible mental health emergency phone calls, and only operates in 31 out of 77 total police precincts. 

    • Mobile crisis teams exist in all five boroughs, but are not available 24/7 in all neighborhoods.

    • NYC faces a severe shortage of mental health professionals, with an estimated 10,000 additional professionals needed to meet demand. This includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and peer counselors.

    • Public sector salaries for mental health roles lag behind private sector compensation, contributing to recruitment and retention challenges.

Challenges

Overburdened Hospitals: Emergency rooms are frequently used for psychiatric crises due to the lack of community-based alternatives.

Stigma and Access: Cultural and linguistic barriers discourage many New Yorkers from seeking mental health care.

Homelessness: A significant portion of NYC’s unhoused population struggles with untreated mental illness, exacerbating both the housing and mental health crises.

Justice System: Many individuals with untreated mental illnesses end up cycling through the criminal justice system, where treatment is limited and inconsistent.

Initiatives

The Harmony Network

A citywide integrated mental health care system linking clinics, hospitals, schools, and housing programs.

Implement universal mental health screenings at public schools, public universities and health centers.

Mobile Mindfulness Units

Deploy 10 mobile mental health teams offering free therapy, yoga, and wellness resources directly in underserved neighborhoods at parks and train stations.

Harmony Healing Centers

Build 20 new centers (four per borough) as community hubs for therapy, wellness programs, crisis care, and cultural healing practices. 

Partner with local artists and cultural groups to tailor services.

The Harmony Corners Program

Establish “calm corners” in public libraries, parks, and transit hubs—quiet spaces where New Yorkers can access on-demand mental health resources and relaxation activities.

Neighborhood Harmony Grants

Provide $10M annually for local nonprofits and mutual aid groups to run culturally competent mental health programs, including individual and family supports.

Workplace Harmony

Require businesses to offer mental health days and workplace therapy programs for companies with 50+ employees.

Harmony Housing with Supportive Services

Introduce mindfulness education and emotional learning in every NYC public school and university.

Train 10,000 teachers in trauma-informed and mental health practices so as to better equip them to spot developing mental health challenges in students. Support teachers by hiring additional counselors and partner with the State to expand existing efforts to create school-based mental health clinic initiatives.

Implement the NYC Mental Health Continuum collaboration between the NYC DOE, Health + Hospitals, and the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene to support students and school communities.

Harmony In The Courts

Goals:

  • Reduce Recidivism: Provide treatment pathways instead of incarceration for those with mental health challenges.

  • Lower Costs: Treating mental health issues is more cost-effective than incarceration.

  • Increase Public Safety: Ensure individuals receive care, reducing the likelihood of repeat crises.

  • Build Community Trust: Demonstrate a commitment to fairness and rehabilitation, particularly in marginalized communities.

  • Mental health courts are phenomenally successful at breaking the criminalization, incarceration and homelessness for people with serious mental health challenges. NYC has several mental health courts, but they are underutilized, unevenly distributed across boroughs and those that do exist experience crippling wait times to even be assessed. We must expand access to mental health courts and increase capacity, train judges and court staff in trauma-informed practices and mental health awareness, pilot virtual mental health court sessions to improve accessibility.

  • Work with NYPD and EMS/EMT to develop a citywide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program to divert non-violent individuals in crisis directly to treatment instead of arrest.

    Collaborate with courts to create an alternative sentencing program that mandates treatment and supportive housing for eligible cases.

  • Ensure Rikers Island and other detention facilities provide high-quality behavioral health services. 

    Mandate individualized treatment plans for incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses. 

    Establish discharge planning programs that connect individuals to housing and care post-incarceration.

  • Advocate for updates to Kendra’s Law with the insertion of clinicians, ensuring a balance between individual rights and the need for mandated outpatient treatment for those with severe mental illness who pose a danger to themselves or others.

    Create a centralized database and task force to track individuals in Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs, ensuring continuity of care.

Mayoral Management Improvements

Leverage Executive Powers

Mental Health Chief: Empower the Chief, reporting to the Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, to oversee all mental health initiatives, court reforms, and interagency collaboration.

Emergency Task Force: Establish a mayoral task force to address gaps in mental health care and justice system coordination, with quarterly public updates.

Integrate with City Agencies

DOHMH Partnership: Increase funding for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to manage outpatient and court-ordered mental health care.

Housing and Corrections Collaboration:

  • Partner with NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and Department of Homeless Services to prioritize supportive housing for individuals referred by courts.

  • Work with the NYC Department of Correction to ensure all inmates receive mental health assessments upon entry.

Improve Crisis Response Systems

Behavioral Health Emergency Response Teams (B-HEARD): Scale up unarmed mental health crisis response units with EMS/EMTs to respond to 911 calls involving mental health crises.

  • Include peer advocates and legal and social work professionals to de-escalate situations and provide on-the-spot care.

  • Establish a technical assistance and training center to improve crisis response care throughout the city

Expand Public Defender Resources

Increase funding for NYC public defender offices to provide mental health advocacy, including evaluations, case management, and connections to services.

Streamline Funding for Mental Health Courts and Programs

Dedicate a portion of the city budget to mental health courts and diversion programs.

Advocate for state and federal grants specifically for court-related mental health interventions.

Your contribution fuels our campaign to bring real change to New York City. Whether it’s $10, $500 or the max $2100, every dollar goes toward building a future where all New Yorkers can thrive.

And if you are an NYC resident, your donation can be matched 8-to-1. Help us keep fighting for working families and ensure our city remains a place for everyone.

How Do We Pay For It?

    • Reallocate existing budgets from reactive crisis response systems.

    • Federal funds via Medicaid, SAMHSA, and HUD.

    • Public-private partnerships with wellness companies, local businesses, and tech innovators.

  • Education Partnerships:

    • Partner with CUNY and SUNY to expand scholarships for mental health degrees.

    • Launch a “Wellness Workforce” program offering tuition-free pathways for students who commit to five years of service in underserved areas.

    Apprenticeships:

    • Develop a Mental Health Apprenticeship Program targeting high school and college students interested in health care.

    Salary Incentives:

    • Increase public facility salaries to match private sector averages.

    • Offer signing bonuses and loan forgiveness for early-career professionals.

1. Rehabilitating Existing Facilities:

Cost per facility: $15M x 44 = $660M.

2. Building New Facilities:

Average construction cost per center: $25M x 10 = $250M.

3. Supportive Housing Development:

Cost per unit: $400K x 2,500 = $1B.

4. Workforce Expansion:

Hiring and training costs for 10,000 staff: $750M over five years.

Job Titles and Staff Needs:

  • Psychiatrists: 1,500

  • Psychologists: 2,000

  • Licensed Clinical Social Workers: 3,000

  • Peer Counselors: 1,500

  • Psychiatric Nurses: 1,000

  • Support Staff: 1,000

Estimated Costs