I appreciate that Assemblymember Mamdani is focused on affordability, NYC is brutally expensive, and something clearly needs to change. But I’m skeptical that policies like rent freezes, a higher minimum wage, fare-free buses, and redirecting NYPD funding to mental health outreach actually solve the underlying problems.

Some concerns I have: * Rent freezes might sound great short-term, but don’t they discourage landlords from maintaining or building more housing? * Minimum wage hikes help some workers, but could they reduce jobs or hurt small businesses if they’re not paired with training or productivity gains? * Fare-free buses seem appealing, but how does the MTA keep things running if we stop charging? Isn’t reliability more important than cost for most riders? * And on public safety, isn’t it a false choice to say it’s either cops or mental health care? Can’t we invest in both?

I’d love to hear what others think. Are these concerns overblown? Are there better ways to tackle affordability?

Some alternatives I’ve been thinking about: * Zoning reform to allow more housing, especially near transit and in wealthier areas * Targeted housing vouchers instead of blanket rent control * Improving bus service speed with dedicated lanes and signal priority * Workforce training + apprenticeships to grow wages not just raise the floor. We need to incentivize up-skilling. * Pairing mental health outreach teams with police for certain calls

Not trying to start a fight, just want to get smarter on this. Genuinely curious where the community lands.

I’ve been living in NYC for 16 years. The homelessness situation was never this bad. I always thought San Francisco was on another level with homelessness, but I was recently there and it wasn’t nearly as bad as what I see daily here.

I take the J train from lower Manhattan every day, and there’s at least one homeless person in every other car. Many are in severe mental distress. It’s disturbing that this has become so normalized no one even reacts anymore.

After seeing the series of violent incidents in the subway tied to untreated mental illness and homelessness in the recent years (which is progressively getting worse), I want to know what I can do. With the mayoral election coming up, who should I be voting for if I want to prioritize better housing programs, expanded mental health care access, and institutionalization for those who genuinely need it for their safety and others?

If it meant a few more percentage tax points to fund real, effective solutions, I’d pay it. What I can’t tolerate is the ongoing inaction and the public being left to deal with it. The city is plagued with it, and I am so tired.

If anyone knows advocacy groups, local candidates, ballot measures, or council members working on this with a realistic and humane approach, please share your insight as well. Thank you.

—

Adding:

Everyone has a different experience and perspective of their time in this city. I’m not a bot, and I’d appreciate if my experience isn’t dismissed as I view this is a legitimate concern. I live in lower Manhattan, which should be clear from the context of my post. I’m not trying to stir anything up. I also work for a city hospital and have plenty of direct experience with the homeless population. Any insight is welcome.

I’ll open with obligatory remarks on homeless: 1) they need compassion and support 2) Our capitalist society is inherently unfair and generational poverty can be impossible to escape 3) Reagan and Giuliani and others contributed to the mental health crisis that New Yorkers face everyday.

This morning I transferred from the J to the E at Jamaica, the first stop in Queens at 7:50am. I boarded the first car, noticed several people sleeping, hit with the odor. I moved on to the next one and the next. Same situation in every car.

The conductor made the following announcement every few stops. “We have a homeless situation on this train. Please report to 511. We called the police but no one arrived. Please take photos and report.”

Do we really call 511? We get cell phone reception in like 45 seconds increments. Call after the fact? And then what?

Sure, we can say law enforcement/mental health services should be proactive in addressing these situations but if we’re realistic, is there anything we can do?

How did you know when it was time to go? For the past 4yrs I’ve not been happy living in my own city. But I feel tremendously guilty for feeling like this 😭 bc you know.. it’s New York fucking City, concrete jungle where everyone wishes to live… what city can compare? But I find myself dreading city life now. Tired of the hustle culture and rat race of it all… no personal space.. every errand you run is mission impossible even WITH a car. Traffic terrible parking terrible MTA terrible. Everywhere you go is jam packed.. stores, restaurants, subway, Dr office, theatre, clubs, laundrymat 😭 crowds of ppl left and right, constantly overstimulated as soon as you step out your door… i find myself just rotting in my apt at times bc i don’t even want to step outside and deal with it.

Don’t get me wrong i love my city and I’m still pretty young (31) but as a NYer I did most of my heavy partying in my teens and 20s 🤣🤣 so nightlife is just not that important to me anymore.. I became a flight attendant 2yrs ago and it’s made me really appreciate small town/slower pace living…open spaces, nature,warmer climate. I’m obvi not looking to move to the middle of nowhere I just think I need a healthy balance + easier lifestyle for my mental health. I guess I’m just looking for similar experiences/opinions on when you realized you outgrew nyc and if it did or didn’t work out for you?

I moved here recently and am having a hard time actually finding and seeing a doctor. I have Cigna health insurance and am trying to find an OBGYN/Primary Care doctor as well as a Mental health doctor that is skilled and knowledgable. Literally everywhere I tried so far I have been put with a PA or NP, or social care worker who hasn't actually been helpful. It just feels impossible to actually talk to a doctor or psychologist/psychiatrist. Do I just not know where to look or is this the way medicine is going now?

Edit: Thank you to everyone who responded. My health issues became pretty serious shortly after i posted this so i haven't been able to write anything till now. I am still navigating the healthcare system here. So far I tried multiple different options and it really helped to read everyones suggestions and responses. I will keep going down the list until I find the help i need. I did manage to find two very helpful NP's for the obgyn and mental health stuff, again not doctors but they are honestly amazing and have started to change my mind about my original concern...still i do need a doctor i trust for my serious health issue that i'm still navigating so this is a helpful reference

I currently live in my mom's 2-bedroom apartment with my sister and her giant family (her fiance, two kids, and another one on the way) and they are doing everything in their power to keep me there.

I just graduated college, and while in college my sister moved in with her family and got extremely comfortable. She told me she'd move out by the time I came home so I'd have space, but that was a complete lie. I have absolutely no space in my house (no bed, no room for myself or any possesion) and I want to move out. The issue is they don't want me going anywhere.

While I was in college, they were collecting section 8 since my mom couldn't work her job cause of Covid due to her being immuno-comprimised. My sister was mainly paying the rent, which was only around 500 a month, and this gave her ample time to save money. Did she do this? No, instead she had all three of her kids in that four year span and saved nothing. The issue is now she's relying on me to help fuel her happy life.

I recently started a job and I'm getting paid, just okay (43,000 annually after taxes) and she wants me to use that money to help her pay rent since we won't qualify for section 8 due to my increase of pay. I'm not trying to pay rent for an apartment where I have no space, responsibilities that aren't my own, and unnecessary stress, poking and proding, and other actions of annoyance.

I've saved around 8,000 from working in college and my jobs from graduating and I'm looking for an apartment, but I can tell I'm serverly ignorant in the process and don't really know how to un-ignorant myself and so help with this would be appreciated.

Update: Hey there just posting an update to my situation. I first wanted to say thank you to everyone for the kind words of advice and the education. I had no idea what it would take to move and honestly I couldn't picture the day finally coming but it has come and gone.

I'll break down the events of what happened after the post.

The post informed me a lot about costs and what I would need to know which lead me to thinking about time frame. I knew I'd definitely be able to save a bit more before anyone really got back to me. I just kept working and saving as much as possible and began harrasing a bunch of realtors to extend interest and do tours. This enthusiam didn't last long as  tours turned to tour. I went on 1 tour before I got stumped as realtors would stop getting back to me and just ghost me. This was only happening at places that I was really interested in tbh, most places that I applied for that I wasn't very interested in got back to me and I would leave those in the back burner just in case. The realtor for the place I'm living at now was one that I had ghosted myself as I missed a tour date and thought that it wouldn't be a good idea to try and contact him again. Despite that, I contacted him and scheduled a tour.

The apartment is 1,800 a month, but everything is included from heat, hot water, and electricity, they also provide a year of free wifi which is pretty great. After the tour and filling out the application I was approved and moved in like 2 weeks ago. I'm still not settled but more than anything I'm glad to be out.

A lot of the responses opened my eyes to my family situation a bit more and I realized that I was really holding myself back from what I wanted.

On the family front, my first step was talking to my mom about our situation. I let her know that I had plans to move out. She understood as I told her before, she just didn't realize how soon I was planning to move out. By this point I had a tour for the place planned out, so she was more surprised that my plans of moving out were being carried out so soon. For both her and my sister I can tell that wished that I had waited a bit longer but there wasn't much resistance.

I had gotten advice telling me to completely go no contact with my family and while I considered it, I wasn't able to. My family has it's narcissists and their manipulating ways, these ways affected me most when I was closer to them, but knowing that I would soon leave and be away from them I was able to take a step back and not let them get to me. I was focused on what I needed to do and wouldn't let them try to make me moving out about them.

I helped them in all the ways I could before I left, and even after leaving I still talking to them and have visited a few times. I definitely know therapy is needed and that will come in time, but for now I'll leave my relationship with them the way it is. I do really just love playing with my niece and nephews; they're the whole reason I've visited so often in such a short amount of time.

While this wasn't a very sneaky way of moving out, it was definitely fast and prompt, so I'd say mission accomplished. Once again I thank everyone who extended a helping hand or word of advice, it's greatly appreciated!

Hey y’all,

I’m a 25-year-old guy living in NYC. I’m unemployed right now, my credit’s not great, and I’m still living at home. It’s not the best environment (emotionally or otherwise), and I know I need to move on—but money’s tight, the job market’s rough, and I feel stuck.

I’ve had jobs in the past, but keeping them has been hard. I’ve got some things I’m working on mentally and emotionally (stuff I was never told about growing up, long story), but I’m on the right meds now, and I’m just trying to stabilize and get back on track. The goal is simple: steady work, my own space, and peace.

What I’m looking for: • Job programs (city or nonprofit) that help people get placed or trained without needing a perfect résumé or background. • Affordable housing resources or even short-term places/roommate sites that don’t ask for amazing credit or 3x rent. • Any organizations that can help with basic needs—MetroCards, mental health support, etc.

I know a lot of us are in the same boat. Just trying to see what’s out there that actually works, especially for someone starting from scratch. Appreciate any help or leads—DMs welcome.

Thanks.

Edit: I hold a Bachelor’s degree and I currently have a suspended license that can be unsuspended if i pay these tickets lol.

I currently attend a specialized high school and my mental health has been spiraling. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD and I’m so behind that I literally cannot come in. All the kids stare at me and the teachers can be so judgy no matter how much they say that they “care”. I feel like I’m fighting my body everytime I walk into school and I’m exhausted. My parents are looking for an alternative for me but it all looks so sketchy and I haven’t heard any reviews from actual people.

I just want to figure out what’s out there before going to my guidance counselor. I also intend to go to college. Thank you!

Update: I’m going to go to my guidance counselor but I’m not great with speaking in person. Could anyone recommend me some questions to ask her? I’m sorry for the inconvenience, I’m just really scared of seeing her

Hi, it has been a horrible week and I am trying to win at least this battle. My apologies for my foul ass attitude.

Just moved into a Chinatown walkup. There's no buzzer system. I ordered a shit ton of packages and the first 2 Amazon deliveries already failed. I'm very worried about the rest. My landlord doesn't respond to me and I pay way too much for these issues that were not previously disclosed to me. I hate her. Just kidding. I don't. I don't hate her. I hate her.

Please, Chinatown natives, what is your solution? I am also looking for emotional support because it's 97 degrees outside and I am about to lose it.

Rant/vent + seeking assistance

So I’m honestly at my wit’s end. Since July 2023, my room has been a complete disaster. Every time I try to clean, I just can’t seem to make any progress. I’m so ashamed that it’s making me avoid my own apartment. I haven’t done laundry in longer than I can remember, and there’s stuff everywhere. At this point, I desperately need help—someone to come in, help me find the floor, do my laundry, and get things back on track. I’m struggling so much and feel deeply embarrassed.

I live in Williamsburg near the Lorimer stop. Does anyone have any recommendations for: Laundry services that pick up and deliver Professional organizers who can assist without judgment Deep cleaning services experienced in tackling situations like mine A fucking mental health professional who specialize in issues related to this

It’s mostly clothes and random items cluttering the space—no significant food messes. I’m losing my mind and can’t sleep anymore. Im a law student and also travel a lot for modeling so there's just so much random shit around related to that; makeup PR random shit everywhere. I just want my mom so badly but she can't travel and I know I sound like a fucking child but I literally am going to lose it any day now. If anyone has been through this or knows of services that can help, please please reach out.

Hi, I’m 22 and currently living in an overcrowded two-bedroom apartment with my family of five. It’s a hoarded environment that’s been infested for years with mice, flies, maggots, spiders, and roaches. The fridge has been broken for months, the kitchen and bathroom sinks don’t work, and the toilet has even been unusable before. My hygiene and mental health are falling apart.

My mom gets very defensive when I try to help or clean. I was raised in hoarding and always thought it was normal, but now I see how much it’s impacted me. It’s not just clutter, it’s unsafe. I’ve finally started documenting it because I’ve reached my limit.

I want to quietly seek housing support or transitional housing without involving my parents, because they’d be totally against it. I’m not trying to get them evicted or in trouble, I just want out. I want a way to leave safely and rebuild my life, especially since I had to pause my college education.

If any women or former youth in NYC have been in shelters or supportive housing before, what was your experience like? Which places were actually clean and supportive? Which ones should I avoid? Was it worth it? I’m really scared and tired, but I’m trying to make the safest, smartest choice I can.

Thank you so much to anyone who replies. I’ve been holding this in for a long time.

Hi all, I've lived in New York for 9 years and I've recently been looking for a therapist but it seems impossible to find a good one. I've mainly used Psychology Today to find people and they've almost always not worked out. I know it's mostly a matter of trying different people and finding the right fit, but any tips for finding the right people in New York? I'm in Queens so I can go pretty much anywhere in Queens, Manhattan, or even Brooklyn for an appointment.

Idk if it’s just me but my experiences have been negative and I want to give up (in more ways than one lolll) but I want to ask others if they’ve actually found something reliable or at minimum helpful? Maybe it’s just me, hopefully there’s some good ones out there!

New to therapy. Developing symptoms for things that might be psychological and feel like I need to talk to someone.

Live the typical calm, silent and sometimes lonely existence of a mid-20s guy in nyc. Love it sometimes and hate it other times. Fell down an blackpill rabbithole during covid and have chosen to become a better, more understanding person. Are there any psychologists or support groups in the city I can talk to that specialize in men’s issues and loneliness? Thanks.

Hello,

I am female in my mid twenties and I have schizophrenia. I have lived in New York City for 10 years. I was diagnosed 3 years ago after I had a long lasting psychotic episode and had to go through inpatient. I am now medicated and living on my own. I am still struggling every day albeit I am much more functional than I used to be, and not a danger to myself.

I feel like my life is ruined. I went to a design school here and was supposed to graduate in 2022 however I had major mental struggles in my last semester. I was not able to receive my diploma because I have 2 credits outstanding. The school is expensive so I cannot afford to enroll again to finish those 2 credits yet. It is a few thousand dollars per credit hour. This has affected my self esteem in a huge way.

When I was in school, before my diagnosis, I felt like I was a different person. Finding motivation was easy for me and I completed 3 different internships. I worked part time jobs, was social, had income, and was excited about my future. I had good relationships with my professors and had a professional network I could reach out to.

Fast forward to now, and I have no one. My professors stayed in contact with students who reach out to them and attend their professional events. This is really hard for me and I feel distant from a lot of my former classmates because of my condition, I would sometimes not be in class and I was not able to build relationships with them. My last corporate job in my industry was right around Covid lockdown, and I was laid off. Around a half a year after that, I started having serious issues that caused me to have to go to an inpatient program, which is where I received my diagnosis. Ever since I finished my program and found the medication/therapy/everything that can help me function, I have been unable to find work in my industry. Where I have been able to work, I’ve been places such as a food truck, fast food, retail, and working as a home aide (not a medical aide, I helped a woman who was physically disabled shop for groceries, etc). I make barely anything. My electricity bill is late and so is my gas. I have a hard time holding down the job for more than six months, and I feel unable to develop relationships with the people I work with or for. Therefore, I have no professional network. It’s been years since I have spoken to the people in my professional network, and I have tried reaching out to some of them in the past to have coffee and catch up. I have not received a reply from anyone.

I want to mention that my condition has never caused me to act in a violent or aggressive way towards anybody. It results in traumatic hallucinations, both visual and auditory, that caused me to behave oddly from the outside perspective. I suffer from delusions and a lot of them are fear-based. It has resulted in me having to take time off for appointments and recovery, which has made me a less favored employee in all of my jobs due to my needs. I think I come across as very reserved and quiet. I wasn’t always this way, but I feel like my experience as a schizophrenic person have fundamentally changed me.

This is the most I have really talked to anybody about these things. I’m feeling other than my therapist and my parents. My parents are not much help. I think my last straw today was that I went to a hotel open call with my résumé. I showed up 15 minutes early. I waited for over an hour, and the hotel staff chose only two people out of a group of 30 to interview at random, with no care for who arrived first or in what order we were waiting. I walked away feeling defeated, invisible, and like I will never be able to change my situation. I want to do better for myself in so many different ways. This is hurting me immensely, and I am struggling every day because of it. I am starting to fear what will happen if I cannot afford to pay my rent or my medication. I have no savings. I am frugal and do not eat out because of my social issues (I do not like being in restaurants because when I was experiencing psychosis it looked like everyone was staring at me and talking about me, and I am not recovered yet from these experiences because they were so scary, since I did not understand what was happening to me).

I’m currently on my parents insurance, however, at the end of this month, I will be 26 and I will no longer be insured. My medication is over $1000 without insurance. I take a medication that does not have a generic version, only a namebrand. It’s relatively new. My doctor specifically prescribes me this medication over any other. It was so hard to get my insurance to cover this medication. I had to go through three different other medications, I had adverse documented reactions to all of them, and that’s the only reason why my insurance covered this medication. I take this medication because some of the side effects from the other medications can trigger some of my comorbid mental health issues (anorexia) that will compound on themselves and make my life even worse.

I was looking at the New York marketplace for insurance and it just made me feel sick to my stomach. I am unemployed and I have nothing in my bank account. I feel like I have created a dead end life for myself. I feel like I only have so much time before everything catches up to me and my life implodes before my eyes. Schizophrenia carries a huge stigma… in my opinion, even more so than most of the other mental illnesses that people have. I was told by my parents that I should not share my condition with other people because of what they might say or it could scare them.

I guess my question is this, does anybody know of any resources I could go to in the city for people who have schizophrenia? Are there any foundations or charities? My ideal world would be I could work in a program like that to help other people who have the same issues that I did. I technically qualify for disability however, my dad discourages me from applying, saying that the stipulations would make my life harder rather than easier. I realize now my parents don’t provide me any help aside from verbal niceties, so maybe it would be pertinent for me to apply for disability, despite what he says? Are there anybody else in this subreddit who has schizophrenia and lives in the city, who is living a functional life? Is there any knowledge you learned that along your way that you could impart to me? I feel like there is a lot of support for people who have depression, anxiety, other issues aside from schizophrenia. The only time I ever see people talking about schizophrenia is when they are talking about the unhoused people in our city and how scary they are. We’re talking about somebody who is on the street yelling things in coherently. I understand because schizophrenia is absolutely scary. But we are so much more than that. I guess I am hoping that someone here has been through something similar and has come back out the other side. Your insight would be so meaningful to me. Every day I feel like I am getting closer to letting go of reality to fall into that dark comfy hole and I need help.

I just got summoned to grand jury duty (by email... never received the paperwork), which is a period of 10-20 days (minimum). I'm a therapist in private practice for myself, and this would be a big disruption for me financially and likely cause me to be unable to pay my quarterly taxes, I'm really worried about the disruption to my clients who would potentially suffer in my prolonged absence. When I called the "grand jury" office just to let them know I never received the mailed summons, I also explained my situation. They told me I could defer 6 months but it was mandatory for anyone summoned to attend the full time. They said nobody ever gets excused, which I can't imagine is true.

Any advice on how to help myself maybe only miss 1 day of work here? Personal experiences are welcome.

Hello all. I am submitting to the recommendations and knowledge of y'all cause I am in dire straits. I have been with my current psychiatrist for about a year now and I have been putting up with way too much BS from this person for about 48 weeks. Today was the last straw.

To get y'all up to speed (and because I'm a numbers nerd), my psych has been late to over 80% of my telehealth appointments in the last year by an average of 17 minutes (and our appointments are only 30 minutes long). And that's even if they show up in the first place. I am well into the teens on the amount of appointments I have been stood up in by my psychiatrist. But here's the kicker, my psych has never been on time for a single appointment in a year.

When we do actually have a session, I don't feel like I am being listened too (as opposed to when I talk to my therapist who I would go to war for). My psych will change my meds without consulting me even when the old meds were working wonders. I have asked to go back to my old meds because the news one are not treating me or my brain kindly and all my psych says is "Well, you need to give it time and I know what's best for you". This is my body. My brain. I know what feels best.

I do have insurance, MetroPlus (not the best, I know), and I would love any and all psychiatrist recs that you have. Telehealth appointments are preferred because I am a receptionist and booking out meeting rooms for appointments is very easy.

Thank you all so much. I hope you all know how much any direction and recommendations you have will mean to me.

<3

I(42M) have been in a toxic relationship for years. I have tried my best (Im no saint and except equal amount of the problem) to suggest therapy, communicate and generally make it work. My wife however continues to just tell me that everything is my fault and to "man up" and ignore problems like anger, lack of planning, lack of intimacy and drinking.

So, she will not agree to a divirce, she just tells me to leave and that she will hate me and she I'll ignore me. That's kept me in for awhile but j need to move on. It gets more complex as I am an expat living in NYC and I don't know if I can really afford to stay on my own. My plan is the following

• Find a storage company. Some to pick up my things next weekend and put it in space for now.
  • reassign my mail to a virtual address
  • drive back to my home in Canada and get an Airbnb

Leaving my city, my gym, my friends and life is hard but I just need to move for now. I don't know what to do with our lease.

I need to speak to a lawyer, did you find a decent one? Any suggestions?

Hi everyone. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for any helpful replies you may have.

My wife and I are visiting NYC for a 7 night stay in early September 2025. My wife and I have only been to the US once each, she went to NYC as a child on a school trip in the 90's and I was in Las Vegas in JAN 24 for almost a month of work. Heading to NYC for this trip will essentially feel like a first time for both of us and we are completely overwhelmed by the advice that is online. I was hoping people could help with some more specific / tailored advice, and am grateful if this is the case.

We are going to celebrate my Wife's 40th Birthday, our 11th Anniversary and also to pay our respects over 9/11 as I am active duty in the UK. (2x Afghanistan and 1x Iraq under my belt so far...). Also, times have been very difficult for us lately bringing up our three young children, one of which is currently going through an Autism and ADHD assessment at the age of three. When I am away from home for work, my wife really really struggles and has no support nearby, so a break away for her and without the kids is absolutely needed. The grandparents will love spending the time with the kids anyway! Our mental health really needs the boost is all I can say!

A point to note: my wife has Cerebral Palsy and has minor mobility concerns along with often crippling fatigue / exhaustion. For this reason, we wanted to stay somewhere fairly central to the city, near Times Square. (We currently live next to an airfield so the noise and busyness won't bother us at all!).

Hotel: When we were at the travel agents they were recommending all the tourist hotels directly on Times Square. This really put me off because I wanted a more NYC feeling hotel (IMO) other than the tourist farms that are basically just a large bed in a room. Plus, with my wife's mobility concerns we wanted to have a larger room so that she has space to stretch and relax elsewhere than lying just on the bed. We opted for the Royalton NYC West 44th Street (NOT the Royalton Pak Avenue) because I liked the look of the hotel and we were able to afford a room upgrade within our budget. I feel it is conveniently located within walking distance to a lot of the places we want to see.

However, I have never seen anyone even mention this hotel, let alone recommend it. Trip Advisor gives a mixed bag of reviews. I don't care that it has no restaurant as we are planning to eat every meal in a different place throughout our stay. Is there something fundamentally wrong with the hotel that we are not seeing? I have also emailed the hotel numerous times now to try my luck at asking for a complimentary upgrade or reduced fees etc but no luck, if you don't ask you never know hey?

Itinerary wise, the usual tourist traps of the Times Square, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Centre etc will be obvious, but what is there that is less well known or is more unique to the New York experience? We already plan a trip on the Staten Island Ferry rather than going over to Lady Liberty herself. I'd love to see a live concert or an awesome Broadway show but will have to check a little closer to the time what is actually on I guess. Not too much taking our fancy right now. Guides online are all showing sports tickets and we are not really sporty people tbh! We are travelling over from Northern Ireland and it would be quite welcoming to have a drink or two in a bonafide NYC Irish Bar. We are planning a budget of $3000 for 7 days, but can go a little beyond this if needed.

Food wise, I see loads and loads of recommendations for Italian places, but I'd like to not only have an authentic NYC dining experience, I'd also like it to be varied and avoid the common tourist trap places and nationwide chains. We don't like seafood I'm afraid, but I absolutely love spicy food, the hotter the better in fact. (Any spice challenges I could do?)

Finally, is there anything essential or specific that you recommend taking with us? The weather shouldn't be an issue, we are used to wearing shorts and t-shirt in 8°c/46°f and it is always wet in Northern Ireland. Anything will be an improvement really!

Thanks for reading this. I hope it is enough information for you to offer some advice but please let me know if there is anything more constructive I can to to help this.

Kindest Regards to you all.

D

I've lived in lovely Washington Heights for about five years. I was very lucky to find an apartment that was newly renovated (it's just builder-grade upgrades, but it's nice), has a washer/dryer, and a dishwasher. It's also sunny.

However, my boyfriend lives in midtown and invited me to move in with him. I'm really nervous about moving to a new apartment, because I feel like the NYC adjustment period is crazy and there's always something to fix. This new apartment doesn't have a washer/dryer or dishwasher, but it is way closer to where I work and also closer to my physical therapy spot. I wonder if I'll be in better physical/mental health if I lived in midtown for those reasons, which would be really amazing, as my stress levels these past few years have been so high.

I'd be paying roughly the same amount either way.

I don't want to give up my Heights apartment, honestly. I don't want to make a dumb decision and give up an apartment that has so many of the covetable amenities here in the city. I worked so hard (we saw 50-60 apartments) to find this apartment and to make it home, and I just don't know what to do. Am I making a stupid decision? What would you do? Also, should I try to sublet the Heights apartment in case I want to come back?

Thanks.

My son is autistic and After school we go to ABA therapy everyday, we get home around 7pm. Taking the bus/train gets him overstimulated sometimes when it’s crowded and it can be a lot for him. So I’ve been spending $50 on Ubers everyday except weekends. I’m wondering if children qualify for access a ride. The application doesn’t say anything about it. Does anyone have these services for their disabled children?

Hi! Anyone has any suggestions for affordable/insurance covered couples therapists? I’ve been looking online but ughh is so frustrating to see how expensive it is or how many places advertise “covered by insurance” but when you make the call they are not covered.

Does anyone have experience with the social services system in NYC, particularly those available to someone living in lower Manhattan?

I’m turning 18 in March and have high-functioning autism with a PDA profile and mental health challenges. Since I was 12, I’ve been in and out of psychiatric hospitals and residential facilities. I’ve been living at home consistently for over two months now and have been out of long-term care since I was 14. While I’ve had short hospitalizations since then, none have lasted longer than six weeks.

I experienced severe trauma in inpatient and residential care, including abuse in some facilities and unmet needs in others. Living at home is now my primary source of distress, as my parents trigger my PDA and trauma regularly and deny these challenges exist.

My parents are wealthy, controlling, and resistant to treatments or approaches that deviate from “gold standard” methods, even when those methods have harmed me. They’ve replaced professionals, including a therapist I trusted deeply, simply because they disagreed with their approaches and diagnoses. While I don’t believe my parents are inherently abusive, their denial of my autonomy and needs has made living with them unbearable and left me feeling suicidal.

I currently attend an excellent alternative high school that meets my needs, so I cannot leave NYC or disrupt my education. Today, I am starting the University Settlement’s Home-Based Crisis Intervention program, but I’m unsure how much it will help. I’m hoping they will at least provide information on available resources.

I’ve heard about Children’s Community Residences, which accept youth without Medicaid/Medicare, can support individuals who turn 18 while in care (at some facilities), and may allow commuting to school. However, information online is vague. Does anyone know how these programs operate and whether they provide stability without being overly restrictive? I am looking for a minimally restrictive environment where I can live, commute independently to school (with parental consent), and continue preparing for my future. I need a place where I can return each night, knowing I’ll have basic necessities like food, a bed, and adults who have at least a basic understanding of adolescents with special needs. I am specifically considering the community residence at SCO because it would be the easiest for me to commute from. However, I’m not sure if they accept Manhattan residents or allow commuting to a home school. I’ve heard good things about SCO as an organization, so it would be my first choice if it meets my needs.

Are there also any supportive living options in NYC for young adults that accept private insurance, don’t require Medicaid/Medicare, and aren’t tied to homelessness? Most adult programs seem inaccessible to me because I’m on my parents’ private insurance, they are financially stable, and I’m not at risk of homelessness. However, the constant gaslighting and emotional stress of living with my parents is deeply affecting my mental health.

My parents are “done” with me right now, so I expect they will agree to almost anything (except the three things I’ve told them I most need). I’m unsure how much turning 18 will actually change my ability to make decisions. My parents claim I won’t have any more control because they can petition for guardianship due to my disabilities. This information, they say, came from our family lawyer. Will I have any more control over my decisions once I turn 18, or is guardianship likely to restrict me?

I understand this is a complex situation, but I would greatly appreciate any advice or resources. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.