Our mental health system is running on fumes. For too long, it has been underfunded and shaped by politics rather than evidence. As chairs of the Senate and Assembly Committees on Mental Health, we know what works — and we see only one New York City mayoral candidate with a clear, effective plan: Zohran Mamdani.

New Yorkers need greater access to permanent supportive housing, which provides long-term stability and dignity. Peer-led programs like community clubhouses offer critical connections that prevent crises before they happen. And when crises do occur, they must be met by trained mental health professionals — not law enforcement.

Decades of disinvestment have left us with too few hospital beds and too many clinics scraping by on shoestring budgets. Medicaid cuts in 2019 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo only made matters worse. While recent state investments are beginning to repair this damage, the gap remains wide.

When preventive care and treatment aren’t available, the consequences spill into our streets and subways. People struggling with untreated mental illness are too often left visible and vulnerable, sometimes making others feel unsafe — even though they are far more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators. And when first responders without proper training intervene,........

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