For more than a year, state funded homeless outreach teams have spent days and nights in the subway system, offering a lifeline to homeless New Yorkers.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday those teams have helped nearly 200 people make their way into permanent housing.

“We needed to get people that the homeless could trust, someone who understands them, who makes an effort to see them as human beings,” Hochul said.

”Every one person that you can get off the street into permanent housing is a win,” said homeless advocate Shams DaBaron, who spoke with NY1 after the announcement.

The homeless outreach teams were part of a $1 billion commitment to improve mental health care around New York. Hochul also shared Thursday that 99 new beds for psychiatric care have been made available at state run health centers and by the end of the year, 500 beds at community hospitals will once again be available for psychiatric care.

“Many beds, psychiatric beds, were taken offline during the pandemic,” Hochul said.

The state’s progress in helping New Yorkers find homes comes as the city’s shelter system remains overwhelmed with homeless New Yorkers and tens of thousands of newly arrived migrants.

This week, the state joined New York City in asking a judge to modify the longstanding right to shelter decree. The governor insists New York cannot be seen as a destination with free housing for migrants all around the world.

“I’m committed to make sure that we can provide the services to New Yorkers,” Hochul said.