The Manhattan district attorney’s office will award $3 million to the Fortune Society to establish a court navigator program.

Navigators will work inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse seven days a week, meeting people after their arraignments to offer immediate and long-term assistance and connecting them with care.

Also, navigators will assist defendants in making it back to court for their next appearance.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg spoke with NY1 about the new initiative during a recent visit to the Fortune Society.

“It’s humane, and it also advances our public safety as we stabilize people,” Bragg explained.

He mentioned that court navigators will be “someone who can offer food, can offer a hygiene kit, and if needed, transport someone right away to housing.”

Navigators will focus on helping people who need treatment for serious mental illness or drug addiction.

Participation is also voluntary.

The Fortune Society has helped formerly incarcerated New Yorkers for 50 years and will run the court navigator program.  

“Bringing in and partnering with someone with a proven track record of success in this type of work is also so important,” Bragg told NY1.

“When you work with people from a place of caring, when you work with people from a place of value in who they are as a human being, not judging them on what they’ve done or how much time they served, it creates a connection that is built on trust, and that helps people change their lives and get the services they need,” Stanley Richards, Fortune Society deputy CEO, said.

The court navigator initiative was funded by money seized from banks after criminal investigations from the district attorney’s office.