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FRONTLINE & ProPublica investigate New Yorkers with severe mental illness living independently

Photo from FRONTLINE's video of "Right to Fail"

A new investigation by PBS's FRONTLINE and ProPublica reveals how people with severe mental illness are suffering as they try to live on their own in New York. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley has a preview of “Right to Fail,” which will air Tuesday evening.  

A 2014 federal court order allowed thousands of New Yorkers with serious mental illness to move out of adult homes into apartments, to live on their own in supported housing. But it hasn’t always worked well for those trying to transition.

FRONTLINE film director Tom Jennings says the investigation examines those with mental illness including a man with schizophrenia, who faced violence and death, while trying to live independently. 

The FRONTLINE and ProPublica joint investigation “Right to Fail” airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. on WNED-TV. 

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