Good morning!

Good morning everyone.

Good morning everyone!

Good morning all

Good morning everyone

Good morning; Dean Clickner, Director, Warren Washington Rose House, Glens Falls, NY, People USA

Thank you everyone for joining!

Good morning Adrienne Terry from Brooklyn Community Service

Good morning everyone

C. Castoire, Good morning everyone.

Hello all!

Good Morning, Everyone from MHANYS (Mental Health Association in NYS)

Good morning from ROME (Refreshing Waters Respite)

Good Morning, Joleen Darby, COO at People USA, previously known as People Inc.

Katherine Vasquez Bronx Peer Advocacy Center, Baltic Street

Allegra Schorr from COMPA - good to see eveyone

Greetings from Rochester!

Good morning! Katherine Martinez, Activities Manager at L'Dor.

Good morning. Chris Paglia from Brooklyn Community Services

Good morning from ROME (HUD Housing)

Good morning from ROME (Buffalo)! :)

Ian Kundel, Families Together in New York State!

Good morning, Angela Valles MHA of Rockand Supervisor for the care management department

Good morning from Joean Taitt, VNSNY

Good morning from MHANYS

Good Morning everyone Mariama NYC RYP

Good morning from Empowerment Academy in Buffalo NY

Good morning everyone, Jonathan Meagher-Zayas of Villa of Hope in Rochester, NY

Grand rising from S:US!

Good Morning from Catholic Charities Family and Community Services in Rochester, NY

Good Morning Social work intern from VNSNY Pathway Home

Hello from Fountain House and the Ft. Greene Park Social Well-Being Team!

Buenos dias/Good morning from VOA-GNY in NYC.

Good morning from Children's Aid!

Good Morning Everyone, Sheron Milliner from NYAPRS

Good morning, William Lang from Geel community services

Joelle Foskett, Legislative Director, Sen. Harckham

Good morning from Long Island, NY

Good morning. Sally Partner from Catholic Family Center in Rochester, NY

Good morning from Recovery Options Made Easy and Wellness Collaborative of New York Independent Practice Association (WCNY- IPA)

Good Morning everyone; Michelle DeMott; Samaritan Daytop Village

Good morning and onward! From everyone at Geel Community Services in NYC

Hello, Larissa Bachman from Pinnacle Community Services, Niagara Falls NY

Good Morning from the Allegany Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc. in Wellsville, NY

Good morning, Jenny Laney Regional Parent Advisor Western Region

Good morning from VIP Community Services, Bx. NY

Good morning from Urban Pathways, NYC

Good morning from Long Island Families Together in Suffolk County!

Good Morning Sharon Mahota from Northern Rivers Albany, NY

Good Morning, Vicky Leite from Parsons Child and Family Center

This call sounds like it is for State funded facilities.

Good Morning, Marcus Martir from Turning Point Brooklyn/Brooklyn Community Services.

Good morning everyone, Rose Sauls, Brooklyn Community Services.

sorry for your loss Laurie.

Martin Gromulat, NAMI NYS, MHA of Westchester

So grateful for all of you! Andrea Smyth, President & CEO, NYS Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health

Good morning, Jeffrey Reynolds from Family & Children’s Association and board member/state policy chair for New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare

Good morning! Savitri Choon, Program Director at Community Housing Innovations, Inc. - schoon@communityhousing.org

Thank you Lauri!

Good morning, Evelyn Frankford here. Long-time advocate in Albany. Now independent consultant on mental health for youth and getting employment

Good Morning. Steve Tramountanas, NYS Certified Peer Specialist doing HCBS and soon to be doing C.O.R.E. I work at Restoration Society in Buffalo, NY.

Hello, Elizabeth McPartland, Child & Family Services of Erie County

Good morning, all. Sonia Wagner joining the rally from Mental Health Association of Rockland.

Good morning , all . Good to see some many !

Hi all,Pat Hillenbrand, FPAFamily Peer Advocate, Mobile Integration TeamSagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center - Office of Mental Health197 Half Hollow RoadDix Hills, NY 11746

Well said Ed!

Thank you Ed!

Yes Ed! I have been in housing for 22 years and this staffing crisis is the worst it has ever been.

beautiful statement

Great job Ed!!

Well said.

Such validating comments of the current situation, Ed. Thank you.

Ed, this is Laura from Pinnacle Community Services and well said, the story is one we could all tell and you did so very very well! Thank you!

I agree

Good morning all, Cheryl Williams, Long Island Regional Parent Advisor, working at Families Together in New York State. at the Long Island Field Office.

Debbie Anderson, LMSW, Community Housing Innovations, Inc. covering Westchester, Dutchess & Orange Counties. Thanks for speaking out and sharing.

We can't compete with Hobby Lobby @ $18 hr

Peer experience with lived experience is just as valid if not more so with working with the populations we serve. It's frustrating when your making as much or less as someone working in fast food.

Celia Spacone, Suicide Prevention Coalition of Erie County out of Crisis Services

Thank you Allegra!

Good Morning, Emily Lawyer, Assistant Superintendent form Northern Rivers.

Yes Steve, Peers and others need to make a living wage!

Thanks Martin

I agree

Yes! Yes! Yes! Kim

Great points Kim. So many families are waiting on services!!

Well said!

Well said 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Very true!

👏

Great point Kim, so many of our youth are ending up in the hospital.

Yes Kim! People are our greatest resource.

Everyone must make a living wage no matter where or what career we have. I would fight so hard to make things easier for families.

I totally I agree with Kim!

thank you Kim

Thank you Kim

Everyone's messaging is inspirational. We have incredible people in our world

Thank you Kim!

way to go Christina

Kim - thank you for being one of our first responders - parents and caregivers who are there everyday for their children! We need to provide them timely access to care and treatment.

Most of the current staff I work with we all make under 16$ we have been short staffed this whole year its been hard.

Good day, thank you for your time.

Christina: Thank you for sharing your story and bringing these challenges to life in such a powerful and authentic way.

Our daughter, who has developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges, is in crisis and has no where to turn for services.

Emergency departments and inpatient stays are not a long term solution for children and families.

Christina you are a champion - thank you !

Thank you for sharing your incredibly personal story, Christina. You are brave.

I totally understand. before thanksgiving my daughter ran away n stated she wanted to kill herself. I didn't know where she was for 4hrs.

Thank you for sharing your incredibly moving and frustrating story, Christina.

Thank you for sharing Christina. You and your sons words are very impactful.

Thank you for sharing your powerful personal story of challenges and perceverance, Christiana. Sending you and your son love and light.

Christina, Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your son's personal cry out for HELP!! powerful words.

Powerful statements,

Thank you for sharing your story and advocating for families!

Kim and Christina, thank you for being willing to share your personal stories as our true “First Responders”

thank you for sharing your story

Thank you for sharing

Thank you for sharing this with us. Thank you for your son allowing you to share such things.

Thank you Christina

Thank you for sharing.

Locally our car washes and taco shops are advertising jobs at 20 dollars an hour. Our Care managers are being paid that or less! How can this happen? A person who washes cars is paid the same rate as someone required to have a degree and providing Care Management for youth who have great needs for support! We must focus on people within NYS.

Bless you , Christina

ty for sharing

Systems do not raise children - Parents and caretakers need the support and the empowerment from well paid trained empathetic staff. So they can continue within their own strength, culture and ability to love and continue to create better futures for their children.

The needs cross all economic lines and impact national and local corporations, rich and poor communities and schools in all zip codes. If we are to support the entire state and all of our residents, we need an investment in the NYS budget.

Kim thank you for such a profound approach and efficacy in sharing your thoughts to see change, and thank you for advocating on behalf of all families including our youth. As usual you are SPOT on!

Thank you, Hauptmann family. Powerful call to action and shared responsibility to change our systems of care.

Christina and Cody - your strength and determination are inspiring. We are here to demand that help be on the way to Cody NOW!

Thank you Wendy

Thank you for sharing your stories.

Thanks so much to all our speakers for your extremely courageous, candid and passionate comments on behalf of our dedicated workforce and the tens of thousands they support across NYS.

We don't accept wait lists for fire fighting or 911 calls. Why do our youth, families and adults need to endure endless dalays?

Your point of well supported workforce is very important. Not only will money support the people providing direct support, but also ensure that those staff have supports themselves to be able to stay in these difficult careers.

agreed Bill

I'm so glad I'm not alone in all of this. I have two adopted kids that both do not have services and on waiting lists. One is suicidal and one is extremely aggressive. They have both been to the hospital, just to be sent home because they aren't in enough crisis when arrival at hospital. All of these stories help me know I am not alone. Being a Care Manager I know the waiting lists so I understand why my kids do not have services they so desperately need. There are just not enough service providers out there because no one wants to work for low pay.

Bill that is so true - we do not value the most vulnerable and fragile within our community

Thank you Linda

The turnover of care managers is such a detriment to services. The people we support often complain that a new case manager is equivalent to starting over and telling "my story" again, and training the person about "me".

Lynda

Thank you Lynda #HopeStartsWithYou

Thank you for sharing Lynda you are a great advocate!

Completely agree Laura!

This is so true. When I do interview they decline due to the low salary

Sebrina, the data is so telling!

We currently have a 27% vacancy rate.

well said sabrina

I think its sicken that the state pays someone more to flip a burger then to care for the mentally ill

76% of NYS Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health's providers reported cutting off intake due to lack of staff in October 2021 - that trend continues to worsen.

we're here to help prevent hospitals from becoming full. we should be compensated fairly

Agree 100%

Thank you it’s really hard

The funding will be spent by our valued employees at their local stores, markets, malls, farms, car dealers, and many more locations-thereby creating a positive economical growth that raises all boats

Andrea, to add to that, the number of youth who are living with trauma, have special needs and are becoming homeless has increased. So, fewer services can be offered when the need is increasing.

Recovery is very hard work and requires a great deal of hope, courage, determination and the ability to rely on trusted staff. For example, peer supporters offer uniquely personal support and stories of success....yet they are leaving in droves due to unconscionably low wages.

ty

Thank you 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thanks everyone, very moving

Thank you so much all of you.

Thank you for putting this together!

That is why we need the funds

Thank you all!

Thank you!

thank you everyone