evidence: Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams today announced new data that shows significant progress on subway and transit public safety initiatives introduced last year. Last October, the Governor and Mayor announced that the NYPD and the MTAPD would surge officer presence on platforms while expanding capacity at the New York State Office of Mental Health to support unhoused individuals who are sheltering in the subway system and those who are suffering from severe mental illness. Additionally, Governor Hochul announced that teams deployed after April 2022 have helped more than 650 unhoused high-needs New Yorkers connect with critical intervention services. [...] MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "Ridership this month is up 35 percent over last year, while crime is down 28 percent. Those are real positive metrics, but we're not taking our foot off the gas anytime soon. I know Governor Hochuland Mayor Adams are in it for the long haul for the good of riders and all New Yorkers." [...] Unhoused Individuals Connected with Critical Intervention and Mental Health Resources Governor Hochul is embracing a multifaceted approach to addressing the mental health crisis and its impact on public safety on New York City. This includes efforts to greatly expand the continuum of care, offer incentives to bolster the mental health care workforce, and to coax healthcare facilities into bringing back in-patient psychiatric beds that were taken offline during the COVID-19 pandemic.