Alliance Alert: New York City is preparing its FY ‘26 budget, and now is the time to speak up for a $4.5 million investment to ensure that peers—people with lived experience of mental health challenges—are included and fairly compensated as part of the City’s B-HEARD mental health crisis response teams.
Despite efforts to move away from police-led crisis responses, too many New Yorkers in mental health crisis are still met with law enforcement. Peers can help change that. Including peers in every B-HEARD team will make the program more compassionate, effective, and community-centered.
We’re calling on City Council leaders to include this critical funding in the final budget. Peer involvement will reduce trauma, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, and save lives.
Please take a moment today to email the City Council Budget Negotiation Team and urge them to invest in peer-led crisis response.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We’re writing to ask you to take immediate action to advocate for a New York City budget that invests in a mental health crisis response that includes peers (individuals with lived mental health experience), not police.
We are asking you to advocate for a baseline budget allocation of $4.5 million to include peers in the City’s “B-HEARD” mental health crisis response teams, and ensure competitive compensation for peers.
We need your help!
By clicking here, you will be able to ask City Council Budget Negotiation Team members to include the $4.5 million for peers in the FY ‘26 budget – and it will take you less than two minutes!
Thank you and please forward this email to all your colleagues and friends!
#PeersNotPolice
#MentalHealthMatters
| TAKE ACTION NOW! In solidarity, Ruth Lowenkron, Disability Justice Director at NYLPI |