Adams Administration’s Recent $30 Million Investment Supports Increased Capacity and Improved Quality of Services for City-Supported Clubhouses
Continues Administration’s “End Culture of Anything Goes” Campaign, Highlighting Mayor Adams’ Efforts to Change Culture, Laws, and Investments That Have Allowed for Public Disorder on City Streets
Builds on Mayor Adams’ Commitment to Support Those Experiencing Severe Mental Illness
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the opening of 13 clubhouses across the five boroughs to engage adults living with severe mental illness, thanks to a $30 million investment of city and state dollars. In 2023, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) began the process to expand the clubhouse model — for the first time in nearly 30 years — through a city-state investment that doubled previous funding. Of the 13 newly contracted clubhouses, there are seven new sites opening, and six are being granted contracts to continue operations. The new clubhouses will expand opportunities for people with serious mental illness to participate in the unique community-driven environment that clubhouses offer. The additional clubhouses will more than double enrollment to 6,600 members by 2027, allowing the city to expand capacity, especially in high-need neighborhoods.
Today’s announcement continues Mayor Adams’ “End the Culture of Anything Goes” campaign, highlighting the work the administration has done to change the culture and laws that prevented people with severe mental illness from getting the help they needed while making the investments necessary to support outreach, harm reduction, wraparound services, and housing to make lasting impacts in lives and communities. Mayor Adams is bringing the same energy and approach that proved to be successful in carving a new path to help people with severe mental illness to addressing other health crises playing out on city streets, and will soon lay out how he plans to realize that vision.
“For those struggling with mental illness, clubhouses are a game-changer. These are free member-led spaces where New Yorkers can do everything from accessing health or legal benefits to finding employment or educational services. Most importantly, clubhouses decrease social isolation, create thriving communities, and they are proven to be effective. That’s why our administration took bold steps to expand this model for the first time in nearly 30 years,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to our efforts, alongside a $30 million investment of city and state dollars, New Yorkers will now have 13 high-quality clubhouses to join. This will expand enrollment to 6,600 members by 2027, increasing access and care. From day one, we promised we would tackle the issue of serious mental illness in our city. From housing with wraparound services to outreach on the subways, we have taken the steps needed to help our fellow New Yorkers in need. We are excited to welcome even more New Yorkers to these life-changing programs, and we thank our providers for the great work they continue to do to improve New Yorkers’ lives each and every day.”
“Everyone deserves access to spaces where they feel seen, safe, and supported, and clubhouses offer that and more,” said DOHMH Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “At the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, we are committed to expanding access to high-quality resources like clubhouses for our neighbors living with serious mental illness. I look forward to continuing this work with our valued partners.”
Clubhouses are free, member-led spaces for adults experiencing severe mental illness that facilitate social connections and provide access to resources like benefits, health and legal services, and employment and educational services through a supportive community of peers. Clubhouses vary by location and are shaped by the local neighborhoods and the members who create community within their spaces. Activities are designed based on member interests or skills, which could include language lessons, creating a group newsletter, or cooking meals that reflect members’ heritage, and more. Several newly contracted sites are in the process of building permanent spaces, allowing old and new members to have further input in shaping their communities.
The 13 newly contracted clubhouses are:
Bronx:
- Fountain House Bronx
- Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and New Jersey: Lantern House
- Venture House
Brooklyn:
- Brooklyn Community Services Greater Heights Clubhouse
- Services for the Underserved: Brooklyn Clubhouse
- Venture House
Manhattan:
- Fountain House Midtown
- Fountain House Harlem
- New York Disaster Interfaith Services: Elements House
- Phoenix House Harlem.
Queens:
- Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and New Jersey: Citiview Connections
- Venture House
Staten Island:
- Venture House
All 13 providers were selected through a competitive request for proposals process.
Numerous factors can impact mental health, including stress, environment, and social isolation. DOHMH’s 2024 report, “The State of Mental Health of New Yorkers” found that less than half of adult New Yorkers said they had someone they could count on for emotional support most or all of the time. According to estimates from the 2023 “NYC Neighborhood Wellness Survey,” of those who have been diagnosed by a health care professional, approximately 1 percent of adult New Yorkers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychosis; 3 percent have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, mania, or manic depression; 5 percent have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and 11 percent have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder or severe depression.
Mayor Adams has made supporting New Yorkers with severe mental illness a top priority. In 2022, the Adams administration announced an ambitious plan to support unsheltered New Yorkers struggling with untreated severe mental illness, which included a new city protocol on involuntary removals and a package of proposed state legal reforms to maximize the city’s ability to serve this population. Since then, the Adams administration has developed new programs, like Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) and Partnership Assistance for Transit Homelessness; added 1,400 new safe haven and stabilization beds, and successfully advocated for changes to state law passed in 2025 that remove barriers to psychiatric care for those unable to recognize their own need for it. All this work comes in tandem with the collection and public reporting of new data on involuntary hospital transports to increase transparency in the process.
New Yorkers can find a clubhouse near them by visiting DOHMH's “Serious Mental Illness” page for a list of locations or calling 311 for assistance. Those looking for mental health and substance use support information or referrals can call or text 988 24/7 to speak with a trained professional.
No comments:
Post a Comment