Harlem Strong: community mental health support in housing and clinics
Official title: Harlem Strong Mental Health Coalition: A Multi-sector Community-Engaged Collaborative for System Transformation
Funded at Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy · NIH-11178410 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project brings mental health support into low-income housing and primary care to help Harlem residents with overlapping mental and physical health needs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 23, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $715,674 |
| NIH project number | 5U01MH136557-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178410 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults living in participating low-income housing developments or receiving care at partner primary care clinics in Harlem who have mental health needs or combined mental and physical health concerns.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the program area, require highly specialized psychiatric care, or do not engage with the partner housing or clinic sites may not directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From my point of view, community groups, a health insurer, housing providers, and clinics are teaming up to make mental health services easier to get. They will train non-mental-health staff in housing developments and primary care to share basic mental health support and connect people with services, using a community-based participatory approach. The program will track whether these collaborations improve access, care coordination, and linkages to social supports for people facing multiple barriers. The effort focuses on low-income housing and partner clinics in Harlem and is led by CUNY and local community organizations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make mental health help easier to access locally, improve connections to social and medical services, and lead to better mental and physical health outcomes for residents.
How similar studies have gone: Similar task-sharing and community collaborative care approaches have shown promise internationally and in some U.S. clinic settings, but applying this combined model in U.S. low-income housing is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ngo, Victoria Khanh — Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
- Study coordinator: Ngo, Victoria Khanh
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.