NEW VIDEO: Brad Lander Explainer Breaks Down His Plan to End Street Homelessness for People with Serious Mental Illness

NEW YORK — In the latest campaign effort to convey his vision for a safer New York City, Brad Lander today released a new “explainer” video breaking down his plan to end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness. Watch the full video here.

Lander will also be participating in the annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) event tonight to continue to spread awareness on street homelessness. 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT: 

“Violence in the New York City subways has been dominating the news, but what's really behind these trends? 

“Mayor Adams promised to solve subway crime by cracking down on homeless encampments as though we could just sweep homeless people away, but this policy has not worked. 

“An audit we did in the Comptroller's Office found that those sweeps just shuffle people around. Just 3 out of the 2,300 people in the sweeps we reviewed got connected to stable housing. 

“Meanwhile, it's incredibly difficult to get mental health care, and cuts that Governor Andrew Cuomo made to Medicaid have made it far worse. 

“It adds up to a crisis of people with serious mental illness falling through the cracks. Cycling from street to subway to hospital to jail and back again. 

“As mayor of New York City, I'll end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness. I'll make sure people in crisis get the help they need so they don't become a danger to themselves or to others. 

“And instead of continuing to put housing last, we'll use a model called Housing First. Housing First has a proven track record in cities around the country: Houston, Denver, Salt Lake City. It prioritizes getting people off the street and directly into stable housing with the services they need, whether that's counseling or medication. 

“That is the most efficient way to make our streets and subways safer for everyone. 

“I'm running for mayor to get to the root of our problems to solve them, not just to sweep them under the rug. 

“Join our campaign today at LanderforNYC.com and let's change this city together.” 

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