New York state is awarding $6 million to support new behavioral health crisis response teams in three communities, aiming to reduce reliance on law enforcement and prioritize health-led emergency care.
The New York State Office of Mental Health announced the conditional funding Tuesday, with $2 million each going to the city of Rochester, Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services, and Children’s Home of Jefferson County.
State officials said the pilot programs will place trained behavioral health professionals and peer support workers at the forefront of crisis response, offering trauma-informed and community-based services for people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies.
“By establishing a health-led system of response, communities can safely, effectively, and compassionately respond to individuals who experience a behavioral health crisis,” said Ann Sullivan, commissioner of the Office of Mental Health.
In Rochester, funding will be used to expand the city’s Person In Crisis team, which operates 24 hours a day and responds to calls through 911, 988, and 211 without police involvement. The expanded program will add peer navigators to provide in-person support and coordinate follow-up care.
Children’s Home of Jefferson County will use its funding to improve crisis response in rural areas of Jefferson and Lewis counties. The program will pair licensed clinicians with certified peer specialists to provide around-the-clock coverage and reduce dependence on law enforcement.
Central Nassau Guidance will build on its existing mobile crisis teams in suburban Suffolk County, integrating clinicians and peers in joint responses and updating protocols for co-occurring mental health and substance use crises.
State officials also announced the creation of the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center, which will be funded with $2 million in the 2026 budget. The center will develop standardized response protocols and provide training and technical assistance to local governments.
An advisory council made up of advocates, clinicians, emergency responders, and people with lived experience will guide the center’s work. Officials said the council first met in January.
The initiatives were developed following recommendations from the Daniel’s Law Task Force, which was created to improve responses to behavioral health emergencies after the 2020 death of Daniel Prude.
State officials said the pilot programs will serve as a model for expanding health-led crisis response systems across New York in the coming years.
