Judge orders NY to move people with mental illness housed in group homes

A judge who was "disappointed and frankly incredulous" at the state's proposal ordered today that NY immediately begin to move thousands of people with mental illness out of group homes into their own housing. Conditions at the group homes, described as warehouses which resulted in isolation, amounted to violations of the ADA, he ruled.

Only those with the most serious conditions who are a danger to themselves or others will be excluded under the plan, which was backed by the Justice Department. The plan calls for NY to provide 1500 new units of supportive housing annually for the next three years. Supportive housing costs $7500 less a year for a resident than a group home.

Furthermore, Judge Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn appointed a federal monitor to oversee the process.

“Defendants’ demonstrated resistance to the remedy, as evidenced by their refusal to abide by the court’s findings in crafting their patently inadequate proposal, further highlights the need for a Monitor in this case,” he wrote