Over the past several years, New York City has increasingly shifted toward community-based responses to behavioral health crises. In the past, individuals experiencing psychiatric emergencies were often limited to hospital emergency departments or interactions with law enforcement. While those systems still play an important role, there has been a growing effort to develop alternatives that meet people where they are and focus on stabilization within the community. Mobile treatment models such as Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) are central to this approach, providing ongoing support to individuals with serious mental illness who may struggle to remain engaged with traditional outpatient care. Within these teams are our talented Peer Specialists, who are individuals with lived experience of mental health recovery. Peer Specialists play an important and critical role in engagement, stabilization, and long-term support.
In The Media
Successful mental health pilot at risk as city stalls release of promised funds
Irma Garcia-Vargas, who lives with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, struggled to find stable housing and treatment years after she moved to New York. Garcia-Vargas, who
May 18, 2026
