"Bridge to Home" Facility Opens in New York City: A New Model for Addressing Severe Mental Illness

The New York City Health + Hospitals system has unveiled a new facility, "Bridge to Home," a pioneering support model designed to help patients living with severe mental illness transition out of hospitals and into permanent housing. Funded as part of Mayor Eric Adams' $650 million plan to address homelessness and support New Yorkers experiencing serious mental illness, the Bridge to Home program fills the critical gap between inpatient treatment and permanent housing placement, offering patients a stable, home-like environment with onsite clinical services and behavioral health care.

Key Takeaways:

• The Bridge to Home facility, located on West 36th Street in Manhattan, will provide single rooms to 46 guests at full capacity with dedicated on-site clinical, behavioral health, and administrative support.
• The program aims to reduce reliance on emergency care, prevent hospital readmissions, and improve overall outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
• Approximately 78,000 behavioral health patients receive services annually at NYC Health + Hospitals, and nearly half of them experience homelessness.
• The Bridge to Home facility will offer a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of psychiatric providers, social workers, nurses, and peer specialists, providing behavioral health services, including medication management, individual and group therapy, substance use disorder treatment, and around-the-clock support.
• The program will work in concert with NYC Health + Hospitals' "Housing for Health" program, which has housed nearly 1,500 patients, and is expected to improve engagement in outpatient care, reduce emergency room visits, and support successful transitions from homelessness to permanent housing.
• The Bridge to Home model creates a new link in the behavioral health continuum of care, providing the city's public hospital system a discharge option for individuals who no longer meet inpatient criteria but need additional supports in the community.
• The facility will be staffed 24/7 by NYC Health + Hospitals professionals and will offer three meals a day, daily group activities, and a range of therapeutic and recreational opportunities designed to support both privacy and socialization.

Statistics:

• 78,000 behavioral health patients receive services annually at NYC Health + Hospitals.
• Nearly half of these patients experience homelessness.
• The Bridge to Home facility will provide single rooms to 46 guests at full capacity.
• The program aims to reduce reliance on emergency care, prevent hospital readmissions, and improve overall outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.

Sources:

• New York City Health + Hospitals
• NYC Department of Social Services
• New York City Mayor Eric Adams
• NYC Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse
• Praxis Housing Initiatives, Inc.