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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Christopher Leon Johnson on Preserving Funding for Clubhouses
8:15:41
ยท
144 sec
Christopher Leon Johnson testifies to the New York City Council, urging them to preserve funding for all clubhouses in the city budget. He shares his personal experience with Rainbow Heights Club and emphasizes the importance of clubhouses in keeping people out of trouble and providing essential mental health services.
- Johnson highlights the need for insurance coverage to allow more people to access clubhouse services
- He stresses that preserving clubhouse funding should not be debatable and thanks the council chairs for their efforts
- The testimony underscores the critical role of clubhouses in mental health outreach and community support
Christopher Leon Johnson
8:15:41
Ready?
8:15:42
Yeah.
8:15:43
Hello, chairs Lee, chairs Lee and Shulman.
8:15:45
My name is Christopher Leon Johnson for record.
8:15:47
I am calling on the city council to preserve funding for all club houses.
8:15:51
I used to go to Rainbow Heights, Rainbow Hill Club.
8:15:54
I used to see a therapist in that same location.
8:15:57
I think it was on, Flatbush Extension.
8:15:59
Now it's on Elm Street.
8:16:01
Please correct me, anybody here.
8:16:03
They need to keep their funding.
8:16:04
All these clubhouse need to keep their funding.
8:16:06
It keeps a lot of people out of trouble.
8:16:07
It keeps a lot of people out of out of trouble, guys.
8:16:10
I I know that for sure.
8:16:12
I didn't I didn't have the luxury of going to Rainbow Heights to deal all the stuff over there because my insurance never covered that.
8:16:18
But I think that I think that's kinda it's kinda federal insurance, the city council need to make sure that the insurance are able to cover.
8:16:26
If you see a shrink for non, like, serious psychiatric disorders to be able to use this if if the the club let's say let me see.
8:16:38
If I see a therapist inside the same place where the clubhouse is at, I should be able to use the same club.
8:16:44
I should be able to use the service clubhouses are able to be utilized too.
8:16:47
I was able to use that.
8:16:48
I was able to my my insurance was able to cover it.
8:16:51
Only advantage I ever had was only advantage I ever had was to see what's inside those clubhouses.
8:16:56
Only advantage I ever had, but they need to make that change within the insurance policy because a lot of people like me only use it to be an insurance, and that's the that's the that's the situation.
8:17:08
But, yeah, the clubhouse is gonna be saved.
8:17:10
All clubhouse is be saved.
8:17:11
There shouldn't be a debate.
8:17:13
This is one of the organ one of the the instances in mental health outreach that needed to be preserved in the city council budget, even in the executive budget.
8:17:22
So thank you chairs, Lee and Showman for fighting for the people that go serve in clubhouses in the city Of New York.
8:17:28
But like I said, I don't know how long that's gonna take, but they need to fix that.
8:17:33
I don't know if it's a state issue or federal issue, but if I see a shrink inside of a clubhouse, I don't I'm not a member of that clubhouse, but I still use the same services that are able to use because I gotta go do the same thing, check with security, you know, all type of stuff like that.
8:17:47
But, yeah, at the end of the day, this need to be reserved in budget.
8:17:51
So shout out to everybody that was fighting for to keep their clubhouses open Yep.
8:17:55
Because without this money within the budget, it's not gonna work.
8:17:59
So I know you gotta go, but thank you so much.
Aaron Anderson
8:18:01
Thank you.
Lynn Schulman
8:18:02
We've not agreed
Stephanie Cannon
8:18:03
with you before.
Christopher Leon Johnson
8:18:04
Yeah.
8:18:05
Thank you.
Linda Lee
8:18:05
And Anna, I like your idea about