Mental health care has become a major concern in the city over the past few years. People living with mental illness often end up in an emergency room or behind bars during a crisis.

A new alternative is about to open on the Lower East Side . It is described as the first ever peer-led respite center, a community-based response model known as Soteria.

Irfan Hasan, vice president of Programs and Grants at the  New York Community Trust — the group that is funding the center — and Lauren D'Isselt, program director at Community Access — the group launching this new respite center — joined anchor Rocco Vertuccio on "Weekends on 1" to talk about the project.