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NYC's New Directory Lists 600 Places to Find Addiction Care

New York City launched Mental Health Connect on October 9, a directory of more than 600 behavioral health providers built with $5 million from New York State.

MTNYC Editorial TeamOctober 13, 20263 min read

Medically reviewed by MTNYC Medical Advisory Board, MD, FASAM, LCSWReviewed October 13, 2026

Lit doorway between geometric blocks, paths converging to it, representing NYC's directory of 600 addiction care providers

New York City now has a single address for finding behavioral health care. NYC Mental Health Connect, launched on October 9 by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, lists more than 600 providers and sorts them by the questions that usually decide whether someone follows through: what kind of service it is, how soon an appointment is available, which ages are served, which languages are spoken, and which insurance is accepted.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the tool the day before World Mental Health Day, and the site covers substance use treatment alongside mental health care. It was also paid for from Albany rather than City Hall. The New York State Office of Mental Health provided $5 million in one-time funding to develop and launch the platform; the city has committed to maintaining it.

A Questionnaire, Then a Shortlist

The tool asks a handful of questions, either for yourself or on behalf of a client, and returns a filtered list. Each entry explains how to get started, and the site notes that many of the programs listed do not require insurance.

The catalog runs wider than clinics. It includes outpatient programs for adults, youth and families, rehabilitation services and crisis services, along with peer support, employment and education programs, care coordination, and social services such as housing, food assistance and legal help. Providers can use the same directory to find services for their own clients, which is where referral lists tend to hold up or rot: somebody has to keep them current.

Why the First Step Was the Problem

The city's justification for the project is a set of numbers from its own 2024 report, "The State of Mental Health of New Yorkers." Among adults with serious psychological distress who reported an unmet need for treatment, 43 percent said the reason was that they did not know who to contact or where to go. Cost was cited by 46 percent.

That report counted roughly 945,000 adult New Yorkers, 14 percent of the adult population, with an unmet need for mental health treatment in the previous year. About 88,000 residents said they needed substance use treatment and did not receive it. Among high school students, 24 percent said they had wanted mental health care in the past year and did not get any.

A directory is not capacity. The tool lists state-licensed programs and city-contracted services, so it does not create clinicians, beds or appointment slots in a system where the city's own report documents a shortage of mental health workers. What it can do is remove one specific obstacle that New Yorkers name more often than stigma, which is not knowing where to start.

Anyone looking for care can search the directory at mentalhealthconnect.nyc.gov, call or text 988 for a mental health or suicide crisis, or reach the state HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) for addiction and problem gambling.

Written by

MTNYC Editorial Team

The MTNYC Editorial Team is a group of healthcare writers, researchers, and addiction specialists dedicated to providing accurate, compassionate, and evidence-based information about addiction treatment and recovery resources in New York State.

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