For Immediate Release
Contact: Leanne Ricchiuti, Association for Community Living, 518.222.8073
March 2, 2026
MEDIA ADVISORY
Association for Community Living to Host Advocacy Day at NYS Capitol March 4
Mental Health Housing Advocates Call for at least 2.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase to Protect Critical Community Programs
(Clifton Park, N.Y.) – Mental health housing advocates from agencies across New York State will gather at the New York State Capitol on March 4 for the Association for Community Living (ACL) annual Advocacy Day, urging state leaders to prioritize funding that sustains and strengthens the state’s community-based mental health housing system.
Providers, residents, direct care workers, and organizational leaders will meet with legislators and policymakers throughout the day to highlight the essential role community-based housing plays in helping individuals with serious mental illnesses live with dignity, stability, and independence. Advocates emphasized the urgent need for an investment of at least a 2.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII) in the state budget to address rising operational costs, workforce shortages, and decades of underinvestment that threaten program sustainability.
WHO: Emil Slane, Executive Director, ACL, Member Organization Leaders and Executives. Direct Care Workers
WHAT: There isn’t a formal press avail, but interviews and sound ops can be arranged upon request
WHERE: New York State Capitol, Albany, and the Legislative Office Building
Various offices
WHEN: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 beginning at 10:00 a.m.
New York’s mental health housing providers serve tens of thousands of residents statewide through supportive housing, community residences, apartment treatment programs, and other services that reduce hospitalizations, prevent homelessness, and strengthen communities. However, providers report increasing financial strain as costs for utilities, insurance, food, transportation, and staffing continue to rise faster than reimbursement rates.
With more than 100 member agencies supporting nearly 50,000 individuals with serious mental illness, ACL remains committed to strengthening New York’s mental health housing system through advocacy, partnership, and community engagement.
For more information about ACL visit, https://aclnys.org/.
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About Association for Community Living. The Association for Community Living (ACL) is a statewide membership organization of not-for-profit agencies that provide housing and rehabilitation services to nearly 50,000 New Yorkers who have been diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness. Many of the people served in these programs have co-occurring physical health problems and substance use disorders. The day-to-day rehabilitative and support activities performed in community residential and other housing settings are vital for people who face the daily challenges of living with a mental illness and want to live independent, productive and satisfying lives as members of the community.