Included in an agreement Monday night to resolve the state’s late budget includes a change in state law to allow hospitals to involuntarily commit mentally ill New Yorkers to their care if patients cannot meet their basic needs.

It’s a change from the previous standard, which allowed involuntary commitment only when a patient posed a physical threat to themselves or others.

Could the new standard help with some of Jamestown’s most persistent homeless residents? It’s entirely possible. County officials have stepped up in recent months to do more to help those who find themselves temporarily homeless, unveiling new programs that county officials hope will eventually decrease the amount of people who need temporary housing assistance. A Crisis Stabilization Center and a new Wellness Center are in the works through Recovery Options Made Easy.

But the state’s previous involuntary commitment standard and the state’s move over the years to close psychiatric treatment facilities has left local officials in a tight spot with those who refuse help while showing signs of mental health or addiction issues. Hochul’s agreement with lawmakers likely doesn’t change much for those who find themselves on the streets due to addiction, but it could be a tool for those whose mental health issues leave them incapable of meeting basic needs like housing.

It’s too early to know if Hochul really won much of a concession from state lawmakers. It’s New York, and the meaning of the new standards has to be hashed out not in the halls of the Capitol Building but through the process of bureaucratic regulation making that no one sees. We would hope involuntary commitment changes won’t be watered down given how hard Hochul fought for them, because a change in the involuntary commitment standard could be a way to help those who need a hand but have thus far refused one.

Where to provide that help, on the other hand, is an unresolved question. Maybe the state will tackle that one in next year’s budget.