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Q&A
Questions and answers about Bridge to Home program details
0:16:58
ยท
3 min
Chair Mercedes Narcisse and Dr. Mitch Katz discuss various details of the Bridge to Home program, including its location, capacity, and implementation timeline.
- The program will likely be a satellite of Bellevue Hospital but the exact location is not yet determined.
- It will have two sites with 50 beds each, serving a total of 100 patients.
- The budget for the program starts on July 1, and H+H is still working on determining service providers and full programming details.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:16:58
After this, no one should be asking what Bridge to Home is because you just given it in a nutshell.
0:17:05
So thank you.
0:17:07
We need many of that, not two or three because we have a lot of problems we have to deal with.
0:17:13
How will HNA determine the location of the two Bridge to Home sites And what criteria will be used to determine the sites?
0:17:22
And when does H and H anticipate making a final decision on-site locations?
Dr. Mitch Katz
0:17:28
We're currently looking at sites.
0:17:30
We don't yet have a a particular site, and we would always, you know, include the city council and the community boards in any site that we chose.
0:17:43
Likely, the the program will be a satellite of Bellevue Hospital, which sees the largest number of seriously mentally ill homeless people.
0:17:53
So it would be wise for it to be not too far from Bellevue Hospital.
0:17:57
But beyond that, we don't yet have a site.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:18:01
If I if I may say, it should be based on statistic of where people are we have the highest folks have that, you know, severe mental illness.
0:18:13
And I don't think it's only Manhattan and Bellevue.
Dr. Mitch Katz
0:18:16
Certainly not.
0:18:17
As you say, there we have a large number
Mercedes Narcisse
0:18:20
of Large numbers.
Dr. Mitch Katz
0:18:21
People in New York City.
0:18:22
Mhmm.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:18:26
H and H will contract out a portion of the funding to nonprofit organizations and it is anticipated that there will be two sites in the city with 50 beds each to cover a total of 100 patients.
0:18:40
Which nonprofit organizations will be involved in this program?
0:18:45
Will you roll out a concept paper for this program?
0:18:49
How much funding is anticipated to be allocated directly to providers?
Dr. Mitch Katz
0:18:55
You know, these are still details that we're working on.
0:18:59
From a fiscal point of view, the budget does not start till July 1.
0:19:04
That's when the money was allocated.
0:19:06
So we will not have, you know, be having any expenditures until at least July 1.
0:19:11
So we're still working out who will be the service providers and and what will be the the full programming.
0:19:18
But we're happy, you know, as that goes along, we're we're interested in people's feedback about the program.
0:19:24
And as you say, if we can show that that this is a workable program, we know that the number needed in New York City is more than a hundred.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:19:34
Definitely.
0:19:35
First,
Dr. Mitch Katz
0:19:35
we need to prove that we are able to do this and that that remember, it is a voluntary program.
0:19:43
So people will need to stay.
0:19:45
And one of the reasons why the current system does not work well is because most people with severe mental illness will not survive well in an existing shelter because their level of need is just too high.
0:19:59
They can't they cannot live that closely with a large number of other people in a congregate setting without services.