New York City is pioneering two Support and Connection Centers to give first responders an alternative to avoidable emergency room visits or criminal justice interventions. The East Harlem Support and Connection Center, which opened in February 2020, offers short-term clinical and non-clinical services to people with mental health and substance use needs, and promotes community-based and person-centered engagement, stabilization and connection to services. Guests (defined as people who were referred to, eligible for, and chose to receive services at a Center) are offered mental health, medical, substance use and peer support services; help with basic needs; and discharge planning. Length of stay varies from a few hours to a few days depending on the guest’s needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the East Harlem Support and Connection Center suspended in-person operations from March – October 2020 and re-opened with modified services in late October 2020. The second center will open in the Bronx in early 2022.