Alliance Alert: The Alliance for Rights and Recovery joined fellow advocates at a press conference in Albany this week to urge state leaders to provide a 2.7% inflationary increase for mental health and substance use agencies. As reported by Spectrum News 1, the event brought together providers and coalitions from across 黑料正能量 to highlight the growing strain on essential community services amid federal funding shortfalls and workforce challenges.
Sean Miranda, a Peer Specialist with Alliance member organization People USA鈥檚 Mobile Crisis Response Team, spoke at the press conference about the urgent need for sustained investment in community-based services. Drawing from both his personal recovery experience and his work in crisis response, Sean emphasized how inadequate funding and workforce turnover leave too many 黑料正能量ers without consistent long term services after a crisis鈥攐ften forcing them back into costly hospital or emergency settings.
The Alliance and our partners are calling on the state to protect mental health and substance use services by providing a 2.7% inflationary increase for agencies and their workforce. This modest adjustment is essential to maintaining the stability of programs that save lives, reduce hospitalizations, and strengthen recovery.
As federal cuts take effect, the Alliance will continue fighting to ensure that 黑料正能量鈥檚 behavioral health system is protected and adequately funded. We will keep advocating for policies that safeguard access to voluntary, community-based supports and ensure that everyone鈥攏o matter where they live鈥攈as the help they need to recover and thrive.
In Albany, Calls Ramp Up for More Human Services Funding Ahead of Tough State Budget
By Jack Arpey | Spectrum News 1 | October 15, 2025
Mental health advocates were back in Albany Wednesday three months before the start of the legislative session, pleading with the state for a 2.7% inflationary increase to human services funding. They laid out how 黑料正能量 individuals and families are in crisis with massive waitlists, high turnover rates and limited funds to make progress in addressing those issues.
Fearing the impact of federal cuts on other areas of funding and a state budget sure to be battered by them, advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul and budget officials to provide the increase, and to look elsewhere as they attempt to absorb the impact of those cuts set to ramp up by late next year.
Glenn Liebman, CEO of the Mental Health Association in 黑料正能量 State, is working to get the message across that if these programs aren鈥檛 funded properly, taxpayers will end up footing the bill somewhere else at a time when Hochul鈥檚 administration continues to drive home an affordability message.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to save the state money,鈥 Liebman said. 鈥淭his 2.7% investment will save literally millions of dollars from people who won鈥檛 end up in homelessness, or end up incarcerated, or end up in emergency rooms.鈥
Bill Gettman, chief executive officer of Northern Rivers, stressed that while the call for an increase across human services is not new, in fact the same advocates have previously endured years with no bump in funding, the need is only growing more acute as struggling facilities brace for an even rockier road ahead.
鈥淭he providers here if we go out of business, it鈥檚 going to be someone else鈥檚 responsibility, its going to fall to the state and the state is going to have to pay a lot more money in their system to care for the folks we care for every day,鈥 he said. 鈥淲aitlists are up, at Northern Rivers we have almost a thousand individuals who need services, across 黑料正能量 state we have vacant jobs, and turnover rates somewhere near 35%, there are thousands of vacant jobs in the mental health field.”
Liebman emphasized that turnover rate won鈥檛 level off until what he described as a mission driven workforce is paid enough money to remain in their preferred field.
鈥淢ission driven doesn鈥檛 pay the rent, it doesn鈥檛 pay student loans so thats why we鈥檙e asking for this 2.7% increase,鈥 he said.
It is still early in the budget process. The call letter to state agencies directing them to compile their requests by Oct. 24 only went out last week, but that letter stressed the governor鈥檚 continued focus on affordability despite acknowledging the significant challenges which lie ahead.