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“We’re looking for them to help them navigate, or connect them to services. Instead of just providing prospective clients with a paper, will help them navigate the system, stigmas that may be associated with their condition, and help them reintegrate into society.” Thursday marks the first of two Navigator programs bankrolled by the Manhattan D.A., with another $3 million awarded to re-entry service provider Fortune Society to mobilize similar outreach in the criminal courts.
New York County’s chief prosecutor recently penned an op-ed about the Navigators, pointing to an ongoing mental health crisis on Rikers Island and calling the Manhattan criminal courts “a repository for individuals who have real needs.” While a district attorney moving against criminalization seems paradoxical, Bragg believes Neighborhood Navigators are “a service New York desperately needs.”