Res. No. 1654 Title Resolution calling upon the New York State Office of Mental Health to compile and publish an updated comprehensive needs assessment for the mentally ill, including an analysis of any unmet housing needs. Body By Council Members Clarke, Robles, Carrion, Malave-Dilan, Fisher, Freed, Henry, Linares, Marshall, Reed and Fiala; also Council Members Foster, Leffler, Michels, O'Donovan, Rivera, Robinson, Rodriguez and Wooten Whereas, Testimony received at a number of hearings held by the Council of the City of New York, Subcommittee on Mental Health, indicates that the lack of permanent supported housing in New York City is a barrier to the successful treatment of the mentally ill; and Whereas, Dr. Neal Cohen, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Mental Health, at a hearing held on December 6, 2000, by the Subcommittee, entitled "Unlicensed Adult Homes for the Mentally Ill: The Problem of Placement and the Shortage of Supportive Housing", stated that housing "is an essential component of the mental health treatment system."; and Whereas, Additional testimony given at the aforementioned hearing by Dr. Manuel Trujillo, Director of Psychiatry Bellevue Hospital Center, indicated that mentally ill patients discharged from Bellevue face a variety of unmet housing needs; and Whereas, Testimony delivered at the aforementioned hearing by Barbara Messier, Associate Director of Psychiatry at Interfaith Medical Center, indicted that many mentally ill people who cannot locate appropriate supported housing must resort to living "unlicensed" adult homes that often dangerous; and Whereas, According to Dr. Cohen, New York State and New York City have attempted to fill the need for unmet housing with a number of programs, including the New York/New York II Agreement, signed in 1999, which provides for the creation 690 housing units for homeless mentally ill adults; and Whereas, Notwithstanding the implementation of the New York/New York II Agreement, the housing crisis and shortage of other services utilized by mentally ill people in New York City has not been fully addressed; and Whereas, According to Dr. Cohen, the New York State Office of Mental Health has not performed a comprehensive assessment of the unmet needs of the mentally ill, including the dearth of supported housing, since 1992; and Whereas, In his testimony at the aforementioned hearing, Dr. Cohen stated that an updated analysis of the unmet needs of the mentally ill would be helpful in assessing "how much progress we have made in filling the need for housing and of course [to] see how much further there is to go"; and Whereas, Accordingly, in his testimony, Dr. Cohen called upon New York State Office of Mental Health to update its analysis unmet needs for housing and other services utilized by the mentally ill; and Whereas, Dr. Trujillo and other HHC representatives testifying before the Subcommittee at the aforementioned hearing similarly endorsed Dr. Cohen's call for New York State Office of Mental Health to its analysis of unmet needs of mentally ill; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the New York State Office of Mental Health compile and publish an updated comprehensive needs assessment for the mentally ill, including an analysis of any unmet housing needs. LS: 3752 PS:ts 12/13/00