NEW YORK — New York will send a homeless outreach team into the subway system within a week as officials put together a more expansive, statewide program to help New Yorkers who are living on the streets, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday. 

The state will deploy approximately 20 homeless outreach workers — including public employees, contracted nonprofit staffers and volunteers — into parts of the subway system that have the “most immediate and acute needs,” the release said. 

State officials will coordinate with the city and the MTA on that effort, the release noted. 

In addition, the state’s Office of Mental Health has put out a Request for Proposals seeking nonprofits interested in operating “Safe Options Support” teams comprised of professionals trained to work with homeless New Yorkers across the state, Hochul said in a press release. 

Nonprofits chosen through the RFP process will help put together teams of professionals, including social workers, nurses, clinicians and behavioral health specialists, the release said. 

Officials are aiming to have 20 teams up and running before the end of the year, including 12 in New York City — four by the spring and eight by the summer, according to the release. 

The five borough-based teams will collaborate with city agencies, including the Department of Homeless Services, as they work to help homeless New Yorkers find temporary shelter and permanent housing, the release said.

“Too many New Yorkers are sleeping on our streets and subways — they need resources and support to get back on their feet,” Hochul said in a statement. “By deploying outreach professionals to targeted areas, we will help improve safety and ensure New Yorkers experiencing homelessness have the support they need.” 

In a statement, Mayor Eric Adams called homelessness “a nationwide challenge requiring an all-hands-on-deck response that can only be achieved through collaboration across all levels of government.” 

“We applaud Gov. Hochul for this new initiative focused on reaching and supporting fellow New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and we look forward to building on our partnership to identify new and compassionate ways in which we can help some of our city’s most vulnerable residents get back on their feet,” Adams said.