The Alliance for Rights and Recovery is proud to join ten other statewide Behavioral Health Advocacy organizations tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, at 10:00 AM at the New York State Capitol in Albany, to call on Governor Hochul and the Legislature to make critical investments in community-based mental health and substance use services and the dedicated workforce that makes recovery possible.
Our coalition is calling for two essential investments in the SFY 2027–28 State Budget:
- A Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII) of at least 3.4%, tied to the July 2026 Consumer Price Index, with a multi-year commitment to ensure future increases keep pace with inflation. This funding is essential to help agencies manage rising operating costs, maintain existing services, and continue meeting the growing needs of New Yorkers.
- A new, dedicated Human Services Wage Investment to provide permanent, recurring wage increases for frontline workers, peer supporters, clinicians, care managers, and other eligible human services staff. This investment must be separate from the inflationary increase so that agencies can both sustain their operations and recruit and retain the skilled workforce people depend on.
For the Alliance, this is about much more than agency budgets and workforce numbers. It is about protecting the relationships that make recovery possible. When someone loses a trusted worker because that worker can no longer afford to stay in the field, they may be forced to start over, build new relationships, and retell painful or traumatic experiences. These disruptions can undermine trust, interrupt recovery, and make it harder for people to remain connected to the services they need.
We appreciate the investments Governor Hochul and the Legislature have made in recent years to expand community-based services. However, we cannot successfully expand access to support if the agencies providing those services cannot keep their doors open or retain the workers needed to deliver them. Continued inflationary relief and dedicated wage investments are both necessary to protect the progress New York has made and ensure that more people can receive timely, effective support in their communities.
We encourage our members and partners to review and share the attached media advisory and join us in calling for a state budget that strengthens our community-based service system, values its workforce, and protects the relationships that support recovery.Investing in agencies and their workers is investing in the health, stability, and recovery of New Yorkers. See below for more.
