Darren Mack calls for diversion, housing, and budget investments

Thank you, Chair Brooks-Powers and committee members.

Thank you for holding this hearing.

My name is Darren Mack, and I'm a co-director of Freedom Agenda.

I'm a survivor of Rikers, and our members are people who have experienced Rikers.

We also coordinate the campaign to close Rikers.

Many of our members have struggled to get mental health services at Rikers or tried to help their family members get services.

They've also experienced the tragic irony of waiting months or years for quality treatment in the community and then finding a jail cell offered immediately once they reach the point of crisis.

The experiences are reflected in the data.

There are over 1,500 people at Rikers.

Ireland who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and that number has increased by 83% since 2022.

49.6% of people leaving Rikers with a mental health diagnosis return within a year.

These numbers are shameful.

There is no one solution to address this, but there are many actions the mayor and city council can take immediately.

By diverting as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, DOC and CHS stand a much better chance of improving care for a smaller number of people.

For example, they could house everyone with serious mental illness, mental health needs, and dedicated units with clinical staff on a unit.

We need investments in community-based programs that cannot wait another nine months or more.

City Hall should make substantial investments in the November budget modification to start addressing this crisis, including

at least $20.3 million to immediately open 150 units of low-barrier housing for people with court involvement and mental health diagnosis, a $3 million capital investment to open more dual diagnosis residential treatment capacity,

At least $1.7 million to develop an outpatient competency restoration pilot.

Sufficient funding to open the remaining 132 GISH units previously promised.

Sufficient funding to eliminate the wait list for community-based mental health treatment teams.

And other recommendations outlined in our full written testimony and our countdown to closing the Rikers policy brief.

In conclusion, we look forward to continue to work with the city council to ensure that everyone's DOC custody can get the health care they need and get support and community ensure they don't return.

And I echo the advocate.

recommendations that the council and the committee endorse and pass intro 134.

Thank you for letting me testify today.

Thank you.