Mayor Adams’ Statement in Response to Governor Hochul’s Plans to Introduce Legislation to Finally Change New York’s Involuntary Commitment Standards
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s plans to introduce legislation to finally change New York’s involuntary commitment standards:
“Denying a person life-saving psychiatric care because their mental illness prevents them from recognizing their desperate need for it is an unacceptable abdication of our moral responsibility. That is why, two years ago, our administration announced an ambitious plan to support New Yorkers living with untreated severe mental illness and experiencing homelessness, which included a new city protocol on involuntary removals and a package of proposed state legal reforms to maximize our ability to serve this population. The Supportive Interventions Act would ensure that those struggling with severe mental illness receive the help they need, instead of the current and unacceptable status quo of waiting for something tragic to happen.
“Several recent incidents have shown what happens when these issues go untreated. As we have repeatedly said, we cannot wait for change. That’s why, since the start of our administration, we’ve put nearly every possible solution into action within the city’s control without passage of this law: we’ve restored all public hospital psychiatric beds that were closed during the pandemic, doubled outreach staffing at the Department of Homeless Services, aggressively expanded specialized shelters like Safe Havens and stabilization beds, brought more than 1,400 new beds online, and connected thousands of unsheltered New Yorkers on the subway system to critical services through SCOUT, PATH, and other programs.
“With today’s announcement, we are exceptionally grateful to Governor Hochul for listening to our calls and to the calls of everyday New Yorkers, and we look forward to working with her to develop next steps to finally codify these changes into law. There is no dignity in withering away on the streets without the ability to help yourself, and there is no moral superiority in just walking by those individuals and doing nothing. We must stop being so idealistic that we’re not realistic.”
Manhattan, New York January 3, 2025
Sources: NYC.gov , Midtown Tribune
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