Senator Brouk Announces $30,000 in Funding for Local Youth Mental Health Programming

ROCHESTER, NY - Senator Samra Brouk announced $30,000 in funding to support the Hub585 and their Stand with Young People Program, which will work to help provide short-term, mental health services for children and youth in the City of Rochester. The Hub585 is focused on providing services for youth and families, and works to address the unmet needs of our underserved foster youth.

“I am focused on securing state investments in our community to offer our struggling families the wraparound support they need, and organizations like the Hub585 are a crucial part of that mission,” said Senator Samra Brouk. “The pandemic accelerated a looming crisis in youth mental health, which is why it was so important to me to support the Hub585’s Stand with Young People Program—its ability to reach our local youth and foster families with support before unaddressed conditions escalate is unparalleled.”

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, “more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.” As Senate Mental Health Chair, Senator Brouk has worked to make mental healthcare more accessible for youth, ensuring that 9-8-8 was funded and prepared to receive calls and texts,  introducing legislation to provide youth with access to telehealth services, and securing funding for groups like the Hub585 who are doing essential work directly with community youth.

Through the Stand With Young People Program, the Hub585 provides essential preventative support to help our struggling youth avoid mental health crises. The program will embed a mental health provider focused on youth outreach in the Rochester Person In Crisis (PIC) Team.