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Council Member Linda Lee discusses site visits and capital improvements with Ann-Marie Foster

2:14:38

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Council Member Linda Lee expresses interest in scheduling a site visit to Phoenix House and inquires about specific capital improvements needed. Ann-Marie Foster provides detailed examples of necessary infrastructure upgrades and emphasizes the importance of expanding services for women with children.

Foster highlights the need for clubhouse model funding and facility upgrades
Discusses the shortage of treatment beds for women and the need for women and children programs
Emphasizes the importance of improving infrastructure to accommodate more patients and remove people from streets and subways

Linda Lee

2:14:38

Thank you.

2:14:40

My team knows that I'm gonna give them more work right now.

2:14:43

But, I love going out for site visits because I think it's very different to see it versus read about it.

2:14:48

So I would love to try and schedule something with you to

Ann-Marie Foster

2:14:50

Would love to have to

Linda Lee

2:14:51

actually talk about.

2:14:52

And then one question I have for you really quickly is, can you just give me an example of what types of capital improvements you're talking about that would help on the programming side and to help you better serve the clients and the clients?

Ann-Marie Foster

2:15:03

Absolutely.

2:15:03

And so while I the one example I've given, it was in my testimony, is that the city believes in the clubhouse model.

2:15:09

And Phoenix House was one of the organizations for the first time got into the clubhouse.

2:15:14

We have been, it's been very difficult to find a location because there was no capital dollars associated with it.

2:15:21

And if we're trying to engage people who struggle with mental health and they need a place to go, and we know what real estate is like in New York City, dollars should have been afforded to that.

2:15:30

Many of our organizations have not had any kind of upgrade where people are reluctant to go into treatment.

2:15:36

And so you're talking from anything as simple as boilers to windows to a new kitchen to expanding, a floor so that you'll be able to receive more people.

2:15:45

In our city, we struggle with the number of beds for women.

2:15:48

We talk about women needing to access treatment.

2:15:51

In our demographics, 3 quarters of our population are male, a quarter are female.

2:15:56

That does not represent in terms of the number of them needing, services.

2:16:00

But they are not accessing treatment.

2:16:01

Why?

2:16:02

Because I have to leave my child.

2:16:04

Right?

2:16:04

And I have to be separated from my family.

2:16:05

There are not enough women and children programs in our city.

2:16:09

Again, another priority population where we should be investing on dollars.

2:16:13

So those are some of the infrastructure needs, for our system.

2:16:16

Our system cannot hold the patients that actually need the services.

2:16:20

If we want to remove people from the subways, we want to take people off the street, where are they going?

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Testimony by Ann-Marie Foster, President and CEO of Phoenix House

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Testimony by Stephanie Marquesano, Founder and President of The Harris Project