NYC proposal would fund mental health staff for migrant shelters

(NewsNation) — New York City is considering a new benefit for migrants arriving to the city.

A trio of Big Apple lawmakers want to put mental health coordinators in each of the city’s 218 migrant shelters, which could add millions to the growing bill New Yorkers are paying for asylum-seekers.

It’s still a work in progress, but the proposed legislation that would offer mental health services to migrants is already facing pushback, even from some Democrats who say the city can’t afford it. It has an estimated $15 million price tag, according to a New York Post analysis.

Newly arriving migrants seeking city services are already given meals, cellphones and more recently, prepaid debit cards for food and child supplies. The city has also been using some of its nicest hotels to house migrants.

Now, under a new proposal that some city council members hope will become law, mental health professionals would be assigned to the 218 migrant shelters across the city.

Some city officials say the potential $15 million cost for the program would be well worth it because it’s needed. More than 175,000 migrants have come to the city since spring 2022.

The New York State Office of Mental Health says about a third of migrants experience high rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Our schools don’t have enough counselors, crossing guards, safety agents, and the list goes on, but now we should provide free mental health services to the world? Talk about misplaced priorities,” New York City Councilman Robert Holden said on X, formerly Twitter.

The cost of caring for the migrants in the city is approaching an estimated $12 billion, and Mayor Eric Adams continues to implore the White House for federal money to help the city.

It’s unknown where the mayor stands on the proposed plan to dispatch mental health professional to migrants shelters.