Support for all New Yorkers

New Yorkers can access a range of mental health services in person, online, or by phone. If you or someone you care about needs support, we encourage you to reach out to the programs below. Help is available.

Call 911 for safety or medical emergencies

In an urgent mental health crisis, or for support 24/7, contact 1-888-NYC-WELL

For the latest updates, follow @MentalHealthNYC on Twitter

Accessing mental health support

Cost: Many mental health programs listed below are free to New Yorkers, regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status. New Yorkers who do not qualify for or cannot afford health insurance can click here to enroll in NYCCare.nyc or call 646-NYC-Care (646-692-2273). For more information on how to access mental health services, visit our guide on understanding and accessing behavioral mental healthcare.

How to help someone who needs mental healthcare: Learn how to help someone who needs mental healthcare with a new guide from the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, produced with NYC Health + Hospitals and the NYC Health Department. The guide walks you through how to get mental health support for anyone, at any level of need – including what to know, where to look, and who to call. If you’d like to request printed guides for your organization or community group, please reach out to press@mentalhealth.nyc.gov.

Mental health for all: Mental Health For All is a comprehensive website that can help you navigate all the mental health resources available to you and find substance misuse support that meets your needs. Learn about all the mental health services available to you at MentalHealthforAll.nyc.gov.

Mental well-being during COVID-19

Many New Yorkers have experienced grief, loss, and uncertainty during COVID-19. If your symptoms of stress become overwhelming, reach out for support and help. You can contact NYC Well, a confidential helpline for mental health and substance misuse services. Trained counselors can provide you with support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 200 languages. CALL: 1-888-NYC-Well (692-9355), TEXT: “Well” to 65173, or CHAT ONLINE at nyc.gov/nycwell. Services include:

• Crisis counseling
• Peer support
• Short-term counseling
• Mobile crisis teams
• Connection to ongoing mental health and substance misuse services

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. You can also find a provider in your county that understands what you are going through or join an online wellness group at nyprojecthope.org.

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:

• Is It Anxiety, a Panic Attack or COVID-19?

• Coping With Thoughts of Suicide During the COVID-19 Outbreak

• Burnout During the Time of COVID-19

• Acknowledging Psychological Trauma and Promoting Resilience During COVID-19

• Improving Sleep Habits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Supporting Children and Youth Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recognize feelings of loss are normal and there are ways to cope:

• Grief and Loss During the COVID-19 Outbreak

• Managing Grief Over the Death of a Loved One During the COVID-19 Outbreak

• Grief and Loss in the Workplace During COVID-19

• Tips for helping others grieve after death, job loss, or loss of health due to illness, from the New York State Office of Mental Health

Resources to help with alcohol and drug use:

• Responding to an Overdose During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• How to Get Opioid Use Disorder Treatment at Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Naloxone (Narcan) Guidance for New York City Isolation and Quarantine Hotels During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Guidance on Safe Storage of Medications and Substances for Recreational Use During COVID-19

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 or click here to fill out the participant interest form.

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.

A study of DFTA senior centers found that attending a center reduces social isolation and improves health. Find a center near you, including centers that provide mental health services through the Clinicians in Older Adult Centers program.

Additional resources for aging New Yorkers

Tips for caregivers of older adults to manage their own anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak, from the New York State Office of Mental Health

Mental health resources for veterans

VetCheck

For veterans who may need help, or someone to talk to, a volunteer from the veterans’ community can give them a supportive check-in call through Mission: VetCheck. Request a check-in for a veteran here.

Mental health resources for veterans

If you are a veteran living in New York, or New Jersey, you can get trauma counseling and crisis intervention support. Call 311 to get connected to these services; in an emergency, call 911. Veterans can also access mental health support by calling the Veterans Crisis Line: 800-273-8255.

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 should contact NYC Well: text “WELL” to 65173, call 1-888-NYC-WELL (692-9355), or chat now.

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.

Learn more about the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health’s partnerships on our youth partnerships page.

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

Additional resources for parents, caregivers, and families

Resources for parents and families to care for themselves, manage stress, and proactively develop children’s social and emotional skills during COVID-19, from the NYC Department of Education

Information for parents and caregivers including child care assistance, an FAQ for parents and caretakers regarding ACS involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the status of Family Court, from the NYC Administration for Children’s Services

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 visit the Resources for Survivors During COVID-19 webpage. For immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, mental health support, and other resources, you can call New York City Family Justice Centers 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 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:

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 toolkit webinar for Christian leaders

This webinar includes a brief overview of the Toolkit and how to take action to support the mental health of your faith community during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a moderated panel discussion with emotional and spiritual care experts from the Christian faith tradition.
WATCH NOW

Mental health toolkit and panel discussion for Buddhist & Hindu leaders
This webinar includes a brief overview of the Toolkit and how to take action to support the mental health of your faith community during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a moderated panel discussion with emotional and spiritual care experts from the Buddhist and Hindu faith traditions.
WATCH NOW

Mental health toolkit webinar for Jewish leaders

Mental health toolkit and panel discussion for African diaspora leaders
This webinar includes a brief overview of the Toolkit and how to take action to support the mental health of your faith community during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a moderated panel discussion with emotional and spiritual care experts from African Diaspora faith traditions.
WATCH NOW

Pandemic grief & trauma toolkit & 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 toolkit and panel discussion for Muslim leaders
This webinar includes a brief overview of the Toolkit and how to take action to support the mental health of your faith community during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a moderated panel discussion with emotional and spiritual care experts from the Muslim faith tradition.
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 .

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 Well’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.

Access resources and webinars on bringing mental health support to your workplace from Thrive in Your Workplace

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

Tips on dealing with grief and loss in the workplace, from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Additional COVID-19 support from the City of New York

For the latest information and resources, including where to find vaccination and testing sites, visit the NYC COVID-19 Citywide Information Portal.

View a complete list of city agency service suspensions and reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information, call 311

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 Pandemic 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

Apply to receive help with food, money, housing, and work, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Cash Assistance (CA), from the NYC Human Resources Administration

Low-income New York City residents may be eligible for up to $900 in financial assistance to cover funeral expenses for a deceased low-income New York City resident family member or friend, from the NYC Human Resources Administration

Information on COVID-19 and rent hardships, Section 8, and meal delivery for residents from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

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.

Resources for small businesses affected by the coronavirus from the NYC Department of Small Business Services

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

Immigrant communities

The Public Charge Rule during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

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 affected by COVID-19, including how to donate and volunteer (as an individual or an organization) from Help Now NYC

How to help doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers on the front lines – including support for meals, hotel rooms and scrubs – so they can continue to care for patients without exposing themselves or their families to undue infection risk, from NYC Health + Hospitals