Almost 90% of voters from New York City support the expansion of involuntary commitment and the care of mentally ill inhabitants roaming the streets or metro, according to a new poll.
The findings of the Association for a better New York Showed a stunning 88% of voters supported the extensive treatment – because the bid of the government Kathy Hochul to expand the involuntary deployment laws, to increase some resistance in the legislative power.
“Do you support strongly, somewhat supported, somewhat resists or stops strongly against the expansion of the State standard for involuntary treatment and care to include people who are unable to take care of themselves and meet their basic needs?” The survey asked.
Of the 600 voters surveyed, only 4% said they were against and 8% were undecided because the support for change was overwhelming in all parts of the city and demographic groups.
More than nine in 10 voters (91%) also agreed that “it is more compassionate to offer involuntary treatment and care to people with serious psychological disorders than to let them on the street” – including a majority (53%) who strongly agree with that statement.
Similarly, 91% of voters agree that “people who struggle with serious psychological disorders should not be denied life-saving psychiatric care, because their illness prevents them from acknowledging that they need help”, including 59% who strongly agree.
The poll – executed by Tulchin research For ABNY – it also discovered that 73% of voters said that the number of public safety incidents in New York with people with untreated serious psychological disorders has increased in recent years. About 18% said that the number has remained the same, and only 4% said it has decreased.
“New Yorkers are rightly worried about their safety,” said Steven Rubenstein, chairman of Abny. “This is not just by viewing the news. It is rooted in the firsthand experiences that New Yorkers have every day in the transit system.
“There is an overwhelming consensus that includes every city and every political party that we have a problem and there are compassionate ways to solve it,” Rubenstein added. “The proposed laws to better take care of people who cannot take care of themselves have the solid support from New Yorkers.”
About 86% of the inhabitants of Big Apple said they have seen a person wandering around on the street or in the metro that seems to be struggling with serious psychological disorders and is unable to take care of themselves.
About nine out of 10 voters are of the opinion that it should be a top or high priority of the legislators of the state of New York to tackle untreated serious psychological disorders, the poll showed.
Almost two thirds of the respondents said they felt threatened while driving on the metro or bus because of the actions of someone struggling with serious mental disorders.
A Hochul representative said that she and the voters are synchronous to want common sense solutions to help spiritual residents get care and to strengthen public safety.
“Providing care to people with significant health risks due to mental disorders is a compassionate and humane approach that all New Yorkers can recognize. That is why there is overwhelming public support for Governor Hochul’s proposal, “said spokesman Avery Cohen.
“We look forward to working with the legislative power to make these legal changes and to tailor New York to 43 other states who already have this in their laws. The costs of inactivity are much too high. “
In his analysis, Tulchin Research said that voters see involuntary care on a large scale as ‘compassionate and necessary’ to help those who cannot help themselves and to believe that expanding the suitability standard for involuntary care also protects public safety.
Despite overwhelming public support, Hochul stands for some headwind in Albany.
The state meeting and the Senate have parts of Hochul’s bid to increase involuntary deployment laws in separate counter -proposals from the governor, completely omitted or deleted.
The Budget proposal of the lower Chamber omits Hochul’s proposal on expanding the necessary criteria for force mentally ill people in psychiatric care.
But it includes provisions for strengthening the planning of the hospital and requiring assessment panels after serious incidents in which mentally ill people fall through the cracks or harm others.
Many proponents of mental health care and civilian activists also oppose a forced treatment, but others, including Assembly speaker Carl Heastie, said that there could be room for an acceptable compromise.
“We want people to feel safe on the metro. Subways should not become temporary places for people who have mental health problems, “said Heastie last week.
Tulchin Research has carried out the ABNY survey among 600 voters in New York City from 4-10 February. It has an error margin of +/- 4 percentage points.
