DA Bragg, Electeds, and Phoenix House NY Celebrate Inaugural Harlem Clubhouse With Community

The new Clubhouse will directly support community members navigating serious mental health challenges and provide peer-driven support, as county continues to battle historic behavioral health hospitalizations

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NEW YORK, NY (07/28/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, Phoenix House of New York & Long Island celebrated the opening of its new Harlem Clubhouse with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Brag, local elected officials, and community members. After years of local advocacy for improved mental health and quality of life services along the 125th Street corridor - including an E 125th Street taskforce and DA Bragg's Neighborhood Navigators - the Clubhouse is a valuable resource for uninsured and unsheltered residents battling historic barriers to mental health care.

View photos of the ribbon-cutting attached.

Driven by a membership model, the Harlem Clubhouse provides free, peer-led mental health support to adults ages 18 and living with a serious mental illness (SMI). According to federal data, 21.1% of adults in New York struggled with mental illness and 5.1% with a severe mental illness in 2021-2022, with care demands outpacing available services and hospital beds. As part of a holistic approach, the Clubhouse additionally connects members to transitional workforce programs, GED prep and other educational opportunities.

A month into its programming, the Clubhouse has already hosted several community events with partner organizations, including a food pantry pop-up with Abyssinian Baptist Church. The original Clubhouse model dates back more than 70 years to Fountain House NYC, a local community partner and fellow celebrant at the event. Active Harlem Clubhouse members - who double as staff and participants themselves - joined the ribbon-cutting to share the sense of support and kinship fostered among them.

"Phoenix House is beyond thrilled to expand our services, and deepen access to mental health care right here in Central Harlem. Our city's facing immense pressure from imminent Medicaid cuts that risk the wellbeing of thousands of New Yorkers seeking mental health support. But long before these abrupt policy shifts, Harlemites have been calling for accessible healthcare to uplift residents navigating competing health and housing crises. That's why we're committed to fostering a lasting environment for healing. We thank District Attorney Alvin Bragg, NYC H+H, Harlem Hospital, and our neighbors for their meaningful partnership," said Ann-Marie Foster, FACHE, Phoenix House President & CEO.

"I am honored to celebrate the grand opening of the Harlem Clubhouse, which will provide community, social connection, a sense of purpose, and hope to people living with serious mental illness. By forging trusting relationships, cultivating a sense of belonging, and engaging members in meaningful work, Clubhouses make their members safer and our communities stronger. I thank Phoenix House for its ongoing partnership and congratulate its leadership for this significant achievement," said Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, Jr.

"Congratulations to the Phoenix House of New York & Long Island on the opening of their Harlem Clubhouse. We are thrilled to have this transformative resource in our Harlem Community. The new Harlem Clubhouse is a healthy and effective care alternative for adults navigating mental health challenges, thoughtfully designed to empower individuals to establish autonomy while seeking support in a self-regulating group with members who have had shared experiences. We are excited to revitalize our partnership, previously aimed at substance abuse recovery, to ensure the health and well-being of our Harlem community remains a priority," said Georges L. Leconte, MPA, FAB, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem CEO.

"When I first walked into Phoenix House Harlem Clubhouse, I came with the heart to serve and support others. But what I didn't expect was the mirror it would hold up to my own life, after receiving my own mental health diagnosis. Phoenix House gave me more than support - it gave me the space to confront my truth, recognize my triggers, and begin transforming from the inside out," said Erica Moore, Harlem Clubhouse member.

About Phoenix House:

For nearly 60 years, Phoenix House New York and Long Island has helped thousands of people overcome substance and alcohol use in order to lead healthy, productive, and rewarding lives. Born as a model for integrated substance use treatment, Phoenix House has grown into a treatment network that offers short-term and long-term residential, intensive outpatient, and general outpatient treatment. Phoenix House also offers treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders, clinical services, medication for addiction treatment, health and wellness goals, and vocational and educational support.