For Immediate Release
Contact: Leanne Ricchiuti, Overit for Association for Community Living, 518.222.8073
January 9, 2024
RELEASE
Association For Community Living Applauds Governor Kathy Hochul’s Continued Recognition of Mental Health Needs for New Yorkers
(Albany, N.Y.) – The Association for Community Living (ACL) applauds the Governor for continuing to demonstrate support of mental health services in this year’s State of the State Address.
Governor Hochul made history by dedicating $1 billion to improving mental health last year. This included adding new units of housing and improving infrastructure in other areas to invest in this important cause after decades of no investment.
“We’re very pleased to see that mental health is so prominent in Governor Hochul’s State of the State and her plans for a better New York,” said Sebrina Barrett, Executive Director of Association for Community Living. “While the plans she describes are needed, in order for them to work we need an increased stable and qualified workforce to care for the individuals experiencing mental health challenges. And the only way to attract and retain that workforce is by paying them a living wage. Our mental health services providers need a 3.2% cost of living increase to keep pace with high inflation and pay their workers what is necessary to afford basic needs, such as housing, child care and health care.”
As the Governor said in this afternoon’s address, the mental health sector has been underfunded for decades. Yet, inflation is skyrocketing at an exponential rate, increasing the impact of that underfunding. The mental health sector is only beginning to catch up due to the COLAs provided in the past two years; not implementing a COLA this year will essentially be a cut to funding and send programs backward. We can’t risk losing the progress we have made. A much-needed increased COLA will help give mental health housing providers the ability to hire an impactful, dedicated workforce to care for the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
ACL encourages the Governor to include at least a 3.2% COLA in this year’s budget, and looks forward to more collaboration to ensure the best care for their residents.
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