“By addressing fundamental needs like access to a safe home and mental health care, we can improve public safety in our communities,” said District Attorney Bragg. “While New York has an extensive array of governmental and community-based service providers, individuals with the most deeply entrenched mental health issues often lack the trust in these systems to even try and access them. Meeting people where they are and building trust is the best way towards long-term solutions for these individuals and the communities in which they reside. The Bridge exemplifies what Neighborhood Navigators are all about: peers with lived experience meeting New Yorkers where they are and helping to lift them up, connecting them to the help they need. I know this investment in The Bridge is an investment in New Yorkers, their mental health, their safety, and their future.”