Press

Press Statements
January 26, 2023

Daniel’s Law: Lawmakers and Advocates Call for Legislation to Protect People Experiencing Mental Health Crises

CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org  DANIEL’S LAW: LAWMAKERS AND ADVOCATES CALL FOR LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CRISES  At Wednesday’s Advocacy Day, More than 100 Advocates Called for Daniel’s Law, Which...

In the News
January 25, 2023

NEW YORK STATE OF POLITICS: Lawmakers push back on Hochul’s reluctance to end qualified immunity:

People who have been treated unfairly by public officials without legal recourse argue more accountability for all officials will improve public safety, and Hochul's position on the proposal doesn't make...

In the News
January 25, 2023

City & state: The quest to end legal protections for public employees in NY – and not just police:

Right now, the impact of the city law remains unclear due to a lack of data to analyze yet, according to VOCAL-NY’s Keli Young, the police reform group’s civil rights...

In the News
January 24, 2023

FILTER MAGAZINE: HOW “DANIEL’S LAW” COULD TRANSFORM NY MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE:

On January 25, the harm reduction organization VOCAL-NY is holding an advocacy day in Albany, urging the passage of Daniel’s Law “to end the criminalization of mental illness and substance use disorder, especially in...

In the News
January 18, 2023

AMNY: City Council eyes expanding CityFHEPS housing benefit program to help vulnerable New Yorkers find permanent housing:

Celina Trowell, a homelessness organizer with VOCAL-NY, said the CityFHEPS program is “one of the most successful tools that we have in the city to try and get people out...

In the News
January 18, 2023

GOTHAM GAZETTE: What Wasn’t in Hochul’s 2023 State of the State Agenda:

“The Governor’s answer to the worst overdose crisis in New York’s history is to increase penalties for fentanyl and drug-induced homicide laws that only advance the War on Drugs, rather...

In the News
January 17, 2023

TIMES UNION: Cautious policies for opioid crisis miss the mark, advocates say:

Jasmine Budnella, the director of policy for VOCAL-NY, a drug-user advocacy group, applauded the investment in drug-checking technology and pointed to its pilot use at New York City’s two safe...

Press Statements
January 13, 2023

VOCAL-NY Slams Gov. Hochul After NYC 2021 Overdose Data Released

CONTACT: Jasmine Budnella, jasmine@vocal-ny.org//Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY SLAMS GOV. HOCHUL AFTER NYC 2021 OVERDOSE DATA RELEASED Governor Hochul Recently Rejected the Opioid Settlement Board’s Recommendation to Use Settlement Funds to Keep Overdose Prevention Centers...

In the News
January 13, 2023

CITY & STATE: Will hochul come around on supervised injection sites?:

Last year, a state panel tasked with determining how to spend over $2 billion in settlement funds from drug companies that had a role in the addiction crisis recommended that...

Scroll to Top
Skip to content