Mayor's Office of Community Safety

B-HEARD - the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division - is part of New York City's commitment to treat mental health crises as public health concerns. In New York City, teams of health professionals - including EMTs/paramedic from NYC Fire Department and mental health professionals from NYC Health + Hospitals - are responding to 911 mental health calls through B-HEARD, which launched in spring 2021. 

A central part of community safety is New York City’s Crisis Management System, a network of community-based organizations that works to prevent and reduce gun violence in neighborhoods most affected by it. CMS partners deploy trained outreach workers and violence interrupters. These people are “credible messengers” with deep roots in their communities and the ability to build trust with individuals at greatest risk of being involved in violence. Neighborhood-based CMS teams work to identify and de-escalate conflicts before they lead to violence, provide support after incidents occur, and connect people to services that can create safer pathways forward. CMS, which currently operates across 46 catchment areas citywide and serves communities associated with 29 NYPD precincts, also links New Yorkers to employment, education, mental health care, legal services, and other supports. CMS will be expanded to 31 NYPD precincts in Bushwick, Harlem, and Washington Heights/Inwood.

New Yorkers can walk into any of NYC’s five Family Justice Center (FJC) to get free and confidential assistance if they are experiencing domestic or gender-based violence, which can include intimate partner and family violence, elder abuse, sexual violence, stalking or human trafficking. FJCs are co‐located multidisciplinary service centers providing vital social services, civil legal, and criminal justice assistance for survivors and their children—all under one roof. Their service model is shaped by the needs and feedback of survivors, and anyone can walk in and receive services regardless of age, income, sexual orientation, gender identity, language spoken, or immigration status.

The Partners Against the Hate (PATH) FORWARD initiative was launched in May 2021 as part of the City's commitment under Local Law 49 to strengthen coordinated, community centered efforts to prevent and address hate crimes and bias motivated incidents in New York City. The initiative supports more than 50 organizations that deliver programs and services to prevent hate violence, expand community-based responses, promote education, and strengthen safety and belonging across diverse communities. It also provides grants to additional partners that serve vulnerable populations, ensuring a comprehensive and community-driven approach to preventing hate. The Mamdani administration doubled PATH grant funding to $6.4 million to better combat rising hate across our city.