The City announced the Domestic Violence Shelter Mental Health Initiative, which will increase access to mental health services for families residing in the city’s domestic violence shelters. The $5.8 million initiative will support more than 10,000 adults and children who receive services at the city’s 55 domestic violence shelters. It will bring mental health services – screenings, individual and group sessions, medication management – directly on-site to adults and children in domestic violence shelters, decreasing wait times.
Counseling is provided at no cost to the resident. Initially starting at 9 shelters, the initiative will expand to all shelters by early 2025. The Domestic Violence Shelter Mental Health Initiative is a multi-agency collaboration between NYC Health + Hospitals, the NYC Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration, the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health.
- Advertisement -
“We want survivors of domestic and gender-based violence to know that that they are not alone, and New York City is here to help and support them,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “With this new initiative, domestic violence shelter residents will have access to therapy appointments, trauma-informed care, and ongoing support, marking a significant step in our work to expand and strengthen care for survivors.”
“This specialized initiative focusing on children and families living in domestic violence shelters provides mental health supports at a crucial moment and time in their lives,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Additionally, having those supports provided within the first weeks of entering a shelter helps build a foundation for a better path forward for every child, family, and individual that is a survivor of domestic violence. Thank you to all the agency partners that have come together to make this initiative possible: NYC Health + Hospitals, DSS, ENDGBV, and OCMH.”
“The Domestic Violence Shelter Mental Health Initiative exemplifies our commitment to serving New Yorkers where they are,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Co-Deputy Chief Medical Officer and System Chief of Behavioral Health Omar Fattal, MD, MPH. “When you need support from a mental health professional, you should be able to get it quickly and in your community. NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s largest provider of behavioral health care, is proud to support residents in domestic violence shelters with immediate screening for mental health needs, a first appointment within weeks, and ongoing care if needed.”
“Trauma recovery is critical to one’s mental wellness, stability and security,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Director of Domestic Violence Mental Health Initiatives Obianuju Berry, MD, MPH.
