Musings: This resolution is a healthy one
There is a need to address the complex housing needs of aging residents, those with comorbid medical conditions, and individuals overcoming homelessness or incarceration. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Paget
As the CEO of Options for Community Living in Ronkonkoma and a member of the Association for Community Living, I see the transformative power of safe, supportive mental health housing every day. But that power is dimmed when funding falls short.
For too long, New York State’s mental health housing system has been stretched thin, operating on models established decades ago. Today, the needs of those we serve are more complex — aging residents, those with comorbid medical conditions, and individuals overcoming homelessness or incarceration.
Yet rising costs for staffing, utilities, insurance and food make it increasingly difficult to maintain the safe havens our residents deserve.
Mental health housing is not a privilege — it is a basic right and a cornerstone of recovery. Without a 7.8% inflation adjustment and $230 million in critical funding to modernize our housing models, our ability to provide care is at risk.
— Yolanda Robano-Gross, Woodmere
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Just go to newsday.com/submitaletter and follow the prompts. Or email your opinion to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone number and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
