Headlines:
    •    Andrew Cuomo Announces Bid for NYC Mayor, Focusing on Mental Health and Homelessness
    •    Former Governor Andrew Cuomo Enters NYC Mayoral Race, Unveils Policy Plan
    •    Cuomo Returns to Politics with NYC Mayoral Run, Pledges to Tackle Homelessness

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New York, N.Y. –– In his campaign, Andrew Cuomo emphasizes the need for effective leadership to tackle the city’s challenges. He has been actively preparing for his return to politics, securing key support and gaining an early lead in the polls despite his controversial exit from the governorship.

A cornerstone of Gov. Cuomo’s platform is his comprehensive plan to address mental health, addiction, and homelessness in New York City. Recognizing that many low-level violations and crimes on the streets and subways are linked to individuals who are seriously mentally ill or suffering from addiction, many of whom are homeless, Cuomo asserts that accepting this as a condition of urban life is neither compassionate nor effective.

He believes that fixing flaws in the current mental health and substance use disorder care system will reduce hospitalizations, homelessness, and incarceration among affected individuals, thereby improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Cuomo’s plan includes several key initiatives:

• Expand access to mental health and substance use disorder services: Focus on community-based services, particularly for the homeless population.

• Address the mental health needs of children and adolescents: Prioritize schools as key access points for mental health services.

• Restructure inpatient psychiatric bed capacity: Aim to end the revolving door and enable longer stays, especially for those without housing security.

• Enforce involuntary commitment laws consistently: Codify existing standards that permit involuntarily committing individuals who are a danger to themselves because they cannot meet their basic needs. Ensure that judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers consistently seek mental health competency exams for defendants whose offenses are related to their serious mental illness.

• Reduce chronic street homelessness: Focus on outreach to the approximately 2,000 chronically homeless individuals who need intensive mental health and addiction services to bring them in from the streets and subways.

Cuomo’s entry into the mayoral race comes at a time when incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is facing scandals and a corruption indictment, potentially impacting his reelection chances. Other Democratic candidates in the race include NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, among others.

Cuomo’s campaign will likely focus on his experience and proposed policies to address the city’s pressing issues, including his detailed approach to mental health, addiction, and homelessness. As the race unfolds, voters will have the opportunity to assess his plans and leadership against those of other candidates vying to lead New York City.

Cuomo Returns to Politics with NYC Mayoral Run, Unveils Policy Plan (March 1, 2025)