Support for all New Yorkers

Mental health resources for aging New Yorkers

If you feel lonely or isolated or have questions about mental health services you currently receive through the NYC Department for the Aging, call the Aging Connect hotline: call 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469). Telehealth services are available. The Aging Connect hotline also provides information for caregivers.

Friendly Visiting/Friendly Voices

DFTA runs two volunteer programs that are designed to build friendships and limit social isolation. Called Friendly Visiting and Friendly VOICES, both programs train and match volunteers with older adults to connect on a weekly basis.

Friendly Visiting is for traditionally homebound older adults, who have ongoing health challenges that make it difficult for them to go out. Volunteers visit the older adult in their home to talk about shared interests and experiences, forming friendships in the process. Due to COVID-19, volunteers are currently maintaining social distancing guidelines and are connecting with their matches by phone and video calls.

The Friendly VOICES program is based on the Friendly Visiting model and is for older adults who are isolated for other reasons (such as COVID-19). Volunteers are matched with older adults and keep in touch with by calling them via phone or video calls. The older adult also has the option to join a virtual group or be matched with a peer close to their age.

If you would like to volunteer for either program, call Aging Connect at 212-244-6469. An older adult who wishes to join the program can also call Aging Connect at 212-244-6469.

Find an older adult center

The Department for the Aging (DFTA) funds nearly 250 senior centers and dozens of affiliated sites through community partnerships in every borough. Senior center membership is free and open to anyone age 60 or older, and you can join any center you like. Language services are available on site.

Find a center near you, including centers that provide mental health services through the Clinicians in Older Adult Centers program.

Mental health resources for veterans

Mental health resources for veterans

If you are a veteran living in New York or New Jersey, you can get wellness support. Veterans can also access mental health support by calling the Veterans Crisis Line: 988, then press 1.

In an emergency, call 911.

If you want to speak to a peer who is a veteran or a member of the military community go to Vets4Warriors at
vets4warriors.com/connect

Or call: 1-855-838-8255

Additional resources for veterans

Veterans can subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring the latest news and information by clicking here.

Mental health resources for students and young people 

Mental health support and resources are available for all students and families from the Department of Education.

The School Mental Health Program is working with its community providers to offer tele-health services, which use health insurance, Medicaid, or offer a sliding scale for billing. If you need help obtaining support for your student, please reach out to your school’s Parent Coordinator, Guidance Counselor, or School Social Worker.

To get mental health help immediately, students and their families can contact NYC 988 for help. NYC 988 is a free, confidential helpline for mental health support available 24/7 in over 200 languages. Call or text 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development provides services, including mental health support, for young people in Runaway and Homeless Youth Residences and Drop-In Centers. Call DYCD Youth Connect at 1-800-246-4646 or 1-646-343-6800 from 9:00am-5:00pm.

Additional resources for students and young people 

The Office of Community Mental Health regularly publishes resources for youth, including webinars on promoting teen mental health as a parent, as well as resource guides containing services available to young people from birth to age 24.

Virtual events for children and teens, ranging from art and storytelling workshops to college/career counseling, is available from Growing Up NYC.

Let’s Talk

Let’s Talk NYC encourages students to share their mental health concerns and seek help from school staff who have been identified and trained as “mental health allies.”

Work in an NYC high school? Register for a Let’s Talk NYC training and gain the skills to have conversations with student about mental health and connect them to mental health support.

Are you a young person or caregiver of a young person? Find resources on how to have conversations about mental health.

Mental health resources for people harmed by violence, crime or abuse

Safe Horizon operates NYC’s 24-hour hotline: 1-800-621-4673. You can also chat with a Safe Horizon advocate, who can offer information, advocacy and support through SafeChat. The latest information on hours and how to access this service is available here.

For anyone needing resources to help themselves or a loved one experiencing dating, domestic, or gender-based violence, you can call New York City Family Justice Centers for immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, mental health support, and other resources — by phone, Monday to Friday, from 9:00am – 5:00pm:

• Bronx: 718-508-1220
• Brooklyn: 718-250-5113
• Manhattan: 212-602-2800
• Queens: 718-575-4545
• Staten Island: 718-697-4300

During evenings and weekends, call NYC’s 24-hour hotline: 1-800-621-4673.

Additional resources 

Calendar of events, including bystander intervention trainings and recurring workshops to support communities facing heightened levels of discrimination and harassment as a result of COVID-19 stigma, from the NYC Commission on Human Rights.

Mental health resources for parents and caregivers

Parents, caregivers, and families looking for remote mental health support for children aged 0 to 5 can contact the nearest clinic participating in the Early Childhood Mental Health Network, overseen by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene:

• Bronx North: The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services: 1- 844-663-2255 (844-ONE-CALL)
• Bronx South: Association to Benefit Children: 929-288-4320
• Brooklyn (Northern and Eastern): OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services 800-603-6435 (800-603-OHEL)
• Manhattan: Northside Center for Child Development: 212-426-3400
• Queens: The Child Center of New York: 718-530-6892
• Staten Island: Staten Island Mental Health Society, a division of Richmond University Medical Center 718-448-9775, ext. 551

Family Resource Centers, overseen by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, provide individual and group-based family support services to parents/caregivers of children and youth (birth-age 24) who have or are at risk for developing emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. Contact the nearest clinic for remote support:

• Bronx North: 718-220-0456  / Bronx South: 718-220-3868
• Brooklyn North: 877-425-8133 / Brooklyn South: 347-394-5186
• Manhattan North: 212-410-1820 / Manhattan South: 212-964-5253
• Queens West: 718- 651-1960 / Queens East: 347-644-5711
• Staten Island: 718-698-5307

ACS mental health resources

If you are a foster parent, Bridges to Health (B2H) is a New York State program that can provide medical services to meet the needs of children and youth in ACS care who are seriously emotionally disturbed, medically fragile, or developmentally disabled.

B2H services are available in your own community and complement other types of medical services provided through other programs. Your foster care agency is responsible for coordinating any B2H services. Contact your agency Case Planner to sign up.

Download B2H brochure

Mental health resources for people with disabilities 

Resources for people with disabilities, including mental health support, during New York City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, from the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. For help with disability-specific concerns you or your organization have, contact the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities directly by calling 212-788-2830 or via videophone (ASL) at 646-396-5830.

Mental health resources for faith leaders

Faith and community leaders can use this Toolkit to understand mental health needs, how to access mental health resources, and concrete actions to take immediately and year-round to support yourselves and your communities.

This toolkit was developed as a conversation between faith leaders, including the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) and New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS), and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health. Throughout, NYDIS offers information on how mental health challenges may manifest in faith communities during and following a disaster, and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health provides information on free mental health resources available to help.

Download the toolkit here

For additional strategies and resources, download our guide on supporting your faith community through grief and loss. Download Strategies & Resources to Cope with Grief & Loss in Faith Communities.

Faith leaders can also watch a webinar on how to support your community through grief, create spaces for healing, and connect community members in need to mental health services. Watch a webinar on promoting mental health in the face of bereavement.

Trauma support in communities: Understanding trauma & trauma-informed strategies for faith leaders 

This guide for faith leaders shares information about how trauma affects people and communities, as well as resources that work to help those experiencing trauma. Download the guide here.

Webinars on trauma support for Black, Brown, and interdenominational faith leaders 

The following series of webinars for Black and Brown faith leaders across New York City provide an overview of the science on how trauma affects individuals and communities, strategies for faith leaders to help address trauma in the communities they serve, and information about trauma resources available to support communities and faith leaders.

Watch the webinars below:

• Trauma in the 67th precinct for Black & Brown faith leaders
• Trauma in Brooklyn for Black & Brown faith leaders
• Trauma Citywide for Black & Brown faith leaders
• Trauma Citywide for Interdenominational faith leaders

Webinars on the role of faith communities in promoting mental health following a disaster

Join us for virtual conversations that bring together leaders from diverse faith traditions to discuss the lessons in the Mental Health Toolkit for Faith and Community Leaders, including strategies and resources to help faith leaders better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic may affect the mental health of your faith community. A partnership between the Interfaith Center of New York, New York Disaster Interfaith Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, these free webinars also offer faith leaders an opportunity to support and learn from one another.

Pandemic grief & clergy self-care toolkit and panel discussion
This webinar includes an overview of the Toolkit and a moderated panel discussion on how trauma impacts grief and the unique importance of self-care during periods of grief.
WATCH NOW

Mental health resources for the nightlife industry

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people who work in the nightlife industry have kept our city running, while facing significant emotional and physical demands of their own: many became unemployed, risked exposure to illness, and became isolated from their communities. The uncertainty and anxiety associated with COVID-19 has created a collective trauma in the industry.

Now, people who work in the industry are charged with bringing back the city’s thriving nightlife, but they may bring with them lingering and new mental health concerns.

Support is available. In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife, find mental health resources below tailored to the nightlife community.

Download our resource guide: Mental health resources for people who work in the nightlife industry
As New York City re-opens, workers in the nightlife industry may have continuing mental health concerns. Find free mental health support in our resource guide.

Free one-on-one case management and weekly support groups for the NYC nightlife community from Backline

Backline is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides mental health and wellness resources to the music and nightlife industries. Backline will be expanding it’s resources to specifically serve the NYC Nightlife community. Some ways you can tap in: 

Work one-on-one with a Backline Case Manager to create a mental health plan specifically catered to your needs, location, and financial resources. We will provide you with a list of referrals to therapists and organizations that understand the music and nightlife industry. Schedule your call today.

Find a support group here. Every week starting mid-July 2021, you can participate in a free and confidential support group moderated by licensed therapists for people who work in the nightlife industry in New York City. Support groups provide a safe place for people in the nightlife industry to come together and discuss what it means to work in nightlife today. Support groups meet every Monday at 4PM .

Sign up for a free wellness subscription from Backline.

Watch now: Elevate Nightlife Mental Health Forum
On June 24, 2021, we held a forum on healing from a collective trauma, hosted in partnership with the Office of Nightlife, NYC Nightlife United, House of Yes, and Backline. Presenters discussed the range of ways COVID-19 has affected the mental health of people in the nightlife industry and shared information about services that can help. In addition, the forum included a brief training on mental health, self-care and coping skills, and strategies to support the mental health of colleagues and loved ones.

Additional resources

• Find apps and online tools to help you manage your health and emotional wellbeing on NYC’s app library.

• Sign up for a free wellness subscription from Backline.

• Find additional mental health resources on our Resources + toolkits page.

Mental health resources for City government employees

Support for New York City government employees, including the NYC Employee Assistance Program, from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations

Mental health support for New York City Police Department employees, including internal Department resources and external resources

Non-government employers

A part of the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, Thrive in your Workplace (TWP) is a public-private partnership that engages New York City employers in a place-based effort to bring mental health supports to the 1 in 5 New Yorkers who experience mental illness in a given year.

Learn how to support a caregiver’s mental health at work, including information in several languages

Mental well-being during COVID-19

While the COVID-19 pandemic is officially over, the impact on us and our lives remains. Many New Yorkers have experienced grief, loss, and uncertainty during COVID-19. Reach out for support and help. If you or a loved one are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, NYC 988 can help. NYC 988 is a free, confidential helpline for mental health support available 24/7 in over 200 languages. Call or text 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

NY Project Hope can also help. Call the New York State’s COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline at 844-863-9314 to talk to specially trained volunteer professionals. They are available to listen, support and offer referrals from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has created the following mental health resources, available in several different languages, which can help you reduce stress and anxiety:

Identify what you are feeling and use healthy coping skills:

Additional support from the City of New York

Food assistance

Visit FoodHelp NYC for a map of free food resources across the city, available for all children or adults in need

Find information on the Food Reserve Emergency Distribution Program, including details on how you can become a food provider, on HRA’s food assistance page

Search donateNYC for food donations by simply entering your address, “Find” and “Food/Beverage”

Employment and unemployment

Information for jobseekers, including how to access remote Workforce1 career services, from the NYC Department of Small Business Services

New York State enacted a law providing benefits to workers impacted by mandatory or precautionary orders of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. If your employer doesn’t comply with this law, you have the right to file a complaint.

Benefits and housing

Tenants’ rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the NYC Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants

On September 2, 2021, New York extended the residential eviction moratorium. For more information and resources, including the NYC Tenant Resource Portal which helps renters access free tools to help prevent evictions, visit the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.

For low-income New Yorkers in imminent risk of entering the New York City shelter system who want to remain stably housed in their communities, Homebase can help you make a personalized plan to overcome an immediate housing crisis and achieve housing stability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, services are conducted by phone.

Business owners and operators

Resources for Taxi and Limousine Commission-licensed drivers, vehicle owners and operators during the COVID-19 pandemic from the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. 

An FAQ for residential and commercial building owners and managers about COVID-19, from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Immigrant communities

Resources for immigrant communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including health, housing, childcare, and the status of immigration proceedings and enforcement, from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

How you can help

How to help people, including how to donate to Help Now NYC and volunteer for NYC Service.