New York City will direct $12 million toward recovery services for residents at risk of overdose through peer-led outreach and workforce programs. The funding is expected to create 500 new peer specialists positions over four years.
The investment will support certification and employment programs for peer specialists, or individuals with a history of substance use disorder who help others in recovery, across the city’s five boroughs. Funding will also support outreach vans, peer certification training and scholarships as well as recovery centers and peer-led outreach programs, according to a May 7 news release from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office.
The initiative is tied to the city’s HealthyNYC initiative, which seeks to reduce overdose deaths by 25% by 2030. In fiscal year 2025, New York City allocated $41 million in opioid settlement funding to support substance use services across city agencies.
New provisional data from January through September 2025 show overdose deaths remained stable after declining in 2024. The city recorded 2,192 overdose deaths in 2024, compared to 3,056 in 2023, according to the release.
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