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New Partnership Solidifies Relationships Among Agencies & Services Providing Care
White Plains, NY – September 23, 2026. The City of White Plains announces WP-CARES, a new formal collaborative effort bringing together the agencies, organizations and service providers that work with the unhoused population in White Plains and those experiencing mental health challenges.
While many of these organizations have worked together for decades, White Plains Coordinated Alliance for Recovery, Empathy, and Shelter (WP-CARES) creates an official structure to share information, coordinate outreach efforts, and identify opportunities to connect individuals with available services.
Many of the people WP-CARES aims to serve interact with multiple agencies and providers, so sharing relevant updates in a formalized partnership will enable each organization to better coordinate services, reduce duplication, and provide more consistent support to those in need.
White Plains already works closely with social service providers, nonprofits, medical facilities, Westchester County governmental departments, and the White Plains Business Improvement District.
WP-CARES builds on those relationships by creating a formal structure for inter-agency collaboration and communication.
The full WP-CARES team – consisting of more than a dozen organizations – will meet quarterly to discuss initiatives and ways to address homelessness and mental health crises, and opportunities to identify efficiencies and share best practices.
The WP-CARES key stakeholders who interact most directly with the population – including the White Plains Police Department’s Mental Health Outreach Team, Lifting Up Westchester, White Plains Hospital, Westchester County Departments of Social Services and Community Mental Health – will meet as a working group each month to share information on interactions with the unhoused population, to address housing, food insecurity, mental health and medical needs.
WP-CARES met for the first time earlier this month with more than two dozen participants.
“Those in our community who are unhoused or suffering from mental illness need all the support available to help them find more permanent solutions,” said Wade Hardy, Commissioner of Public Safety. “I look forward to working with WP-CARES to address these needs. This initiative fits in with the harm reduction strategies I discussed when I became Commissioner in January.”
Homelessness and mental health challenges affect communities across Westchester County and the country, and White Plains is not immune to these challenges. On average, five to six individuals are habitually unsheltered in White Plains while dozens of people utilize the shelters operated by our community partners, including Lifting Up Westchester.
The majority of calls to White Plains Police about homelessness involve medical care and concern for an individual’s well-being. Incidents involving disturbances, violence and intoxication have been on a steady decline over the last three years due to the work of our Police and community partners.
As the County Seat, White Plains has also served for decades as a major hub for social services in Westchester County. Many people travel to the city to access programs and services and may spend time in White Plains before returning to their communities or other shelters. While here, they can access the city’s additional network of services and mental health professionals.
There is no immediate fix to this chronic national problem, but in White Plains we are determined to continue addressing the struggles of the unhoused population and working to improve conditions for all those in our city.
“Our city is dedicated to helping those in need and our teams work tirelessly to make White Plains safe and welcoming to all,” said White Plains Mayor Justin Brasch. “The creation of WP-CARES will allow these organizations to work more efficiently together and to support each other in what are often very challenging situations.”
The City of White Plains implements, funds and supports multiple initiatives to assist the unhoused.
Some of those programs – including the Mental Health Outreach Team (MHOT) and Neighborhood Conditions & Community Relations – have been at the forefront of these challenging issues for more than 20 years, and continue to lead the way in effective and compassionate outreach.
MHOT has been a consistent presence in White Plains, conducting daily outreach throughout the city and interacting with all parts of the community, including the unhoused population. MHOT consists of trained, non-uniformed officers, mental health professionals and a social worker. The team knows the unhoused population in White Plains on a first-name basis, regularly talking with them and connecting individuals with the services they need – whether food, shelter, counseling, training or medical assistance. Additionally, MHOT is highly trained to work with individuals with mental health or addiction issues, which account for the majority of MHOT interactions.
Neighborhood Conditions & Community Relations also interacts regularly with the unhoused population and holds open hours at the White Plains Public Library to provide information about housing services, programming, and resources to help with food, utilities, and rent. Neighborhood Conditions & Community Relations has worked to connect individuals with the resources they need to move into the shelter system and then ideally to move into a more permanent living situation.
White Plains Police, MHOT, and other departments and community partners can offer services, make referrals and connect individuals with available shelters and resources. However, individuals cannot be compelled to accept those services or enter a shelter involuntarily. It is important to understand that it is very difficult for law enforcement to remove individuals who do not present a danger to themselves or others from public streets, buildings or spaces unless they are breaking a law, such as trespassing or disorderly conduct.
“As a result of strong partnerships between non-profits like Lifting Up Westchester, local hospitals and the City of White Plains and its police department, we are able to ensure that most individuals who are unhoused in White Plains are safely sheltered,” said Anahaita Kotval, Lifting Up Westchester CEO. “WP-CARES builds on those partnerships to focus our efforts on supporting those individuals who are hesitant to accept shelter or other support services. By sharing information, strategies and resources to engage individuals who are harder to serve, we hope to positively impact their quality of life and that of the entire White Plains community.”
This is why continued outreach by groups such as MHOT remains so important; the team members establish relationships that over time hopefully lead to individuals consenting to accept services and help. White Plains and our community partners remain committed to working with the unhoused population so that if and when they decide to utilize services, they will know who to contact to receive assistance.
One example of coordinated care among the City, County and community partners involves Lifting Up Westchester. This vital organization runs two shelters in White Plains (Open Arms and Samaritan House), operates a community space and a soup kitchen and offers life skills and job training. The Lifting Up Westchester Outreach Support team engages with those experiencing homelessness who are hesitant to enter a shelter. They work to build trust and provide support as needed, often in coordination with MHOT and Westchester County Department of Social Services.
Lifting Up Westchester’s vital services are just one example of the network of resources already available in White Plains. WP-CARES intends to strengthen the connections among these organizations so that available resources can be coordinated and individuals can be connected quickly to the assistance they need.
WP-CARES PARTICIPANTS:
· White Plains Department of Public Safety
· White Plains Police Department Mental Health Outreach Team
· White Plains Neighborhood Conditions & Community Relations
· Westchester County Department of Social Services
· Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health
· Westchester County Mobile Crisis Response Team
· Lifting Up Westchester
· White Plains Hospital Medical Center
· Sisters of Divine Compassion (SDC)
· White Plains Business Improvement District (BID)
· Dutchess Stabilization Center
· White Plains Public Library
· City of White Plains, Mayor’s Office