In spring 2016, CASES launched Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT), a new community-based adult behavioral health program in Brooklyn.

Based in Bedford-Stuyvesant, IMT is part of NYC Safe, a program developed by Mayor Bill de Blasio that seeks to prevent violence by providing comprehensive care for New Yorkers who have untreated mental health needs that require coordinated services from multiple City agencies. CASES’ provision of IMT in Brooklyn further expands our reach in the borough and specifically our mobile, behavioral health services for men and women with especially high levels of risk and need.

NYC Safe findings indicate that for a narrow population of New Yorkers, untreated mental illness poses a concern for violent behavior. Often, these individuals struggle to access and persist in treatment while also contending with housing instability and other obstacles to basic subsistence needs. In addition to clinical treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation, and 24/7 peer support, CASES IMT helps connect participants to a full range of community services, including supported housing. IMT staff work closely with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Department of Homeless Services, and other NYC Safe partners. CASES brings to the project considerable experience providing assistance to high-need populations who are often unresponsive to more traditional forms of treatment.

“Operating IMT over the past four months, we’ve seen the multiple challenges experienced by the clients referred to our services by NYC Safe,” Jennifer Zinter, Director of IMT, said. “It’s challenging and exciting to be working at the forefront of this critical city initiative to help people work through very significant barriers in order to achieve stability and safety in the community.”