New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams celebrated the opening of a new trauma recovery center (TRC) in Coney Island on Wednesday.
The center, at the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI), is a place where New Yorkers who have experienced gun violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and hate crimes can go to get help, according to a news release.
TRCs are designed to reach survivors of violent crime who have less access to traditional victim services and are less likely to engage in mainstream mental health or social services.
They provide wraparound services and coordinated care, including mental health, physical health and legal services by utilizing multi-disciplinary staff that can include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and outreach workers focused on providing survivor-centered healing and removing barriers to care.
Based on a model of care developed in 2001 at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), TRCs have been proven to improve economic, health, and social outcomes of those who receive their services. They improve public safety by interrupting cycles of violence and increasing participation in the legal process, according to the news release.
“Trauma recovery centers should be a pillar of our public safety infrastructure to support underserved crime victims and communities harmed by the trauma of violence inflicted in our neighborhoods,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
Clients of TRCs have been shown to have an approximately 43% decrease in symptoms of PTSD and depression; 82% were effectively linked to help with other community services; 91% report a better ability to handle day-to-day activities; and 89% were helped to reduce or more effectively deal with substance use. Additionally, TRCs have increased the rate of sexual assault survivors receiving mental health follow-up services from 6% to 71%, and the TRC model costs 34% less than the usual fee-for-service model of care.
The City Council allocated $5 million in funding in fiscal 2023 and 2024 to build several comprehensive, trauma-informed crime victim services centers. Other trauma recovery centers in New York City are operated by Astor Services in the Bronx and Rising Ground in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
