John, violence in the New York City subways has dominated the news. The stories are horrific and tragic, and they deserve our attention.

But what’s really behind these trends?

Mayor Adams promised to solve subway crime by cracking down on homeless encampments as if we could sweep homeless people away. But this policy has not worked.

An audit we did in the Comptroller’s office found that these sweeps just shuffled people around. Only 3 out of the 2,300 people in the sweeps our office reviewed ended up in stable housing. 

Meanwhile, it’s difficult to get mental health care – due in part to cuts Governor Andrew Cuomo made to Medicaid.

It adds up to a crisis of people with serious mental illness falling through the cracks, cycling from street to subway to hospital to jail and back again. 

As Mayor of New York City, I’ll end street homelessness for people with serious mental illness. I’ll make sure people in crisis get the help they need so they do not become a danger to themselves or others. Instead of continuing to put housing last, we’ll use a model called Housing First.

By prioritizing getting people off the streets and directly into stable housing with the services they need – whether that’s counseling or medication – that’s the most efficient way to make our streets and subways safer for everyone.

I’m running for Mayor to get to the root of our problems – to solve them, not just sweep them under the rug. If you’re ready for real leadership in City Hall, please chip in to my campaign ahead of our monthly fundraising deadline on 1/31.

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Let’s change this city together, John.

— Brad