Today's Brief
A trespassing call, some socks and no police: inside Durham's HEART team
Three new crisis teams in North Carolina, Montana and Pennsylvania
New Jersey courts open a new way out of jail for people in crisis
$2 million per pilot: New York opens crisis response funding
Where Louisiana sheriffs spent their opioid settlement money
Total read time: 4 minutes
Real Impact
A man at a Durham strip mall wouldn't leave with his belongings. Instead of an officer, 911 sent Rob Crisp, a peer support specialist who has been through addiction himself, and clinician Allie Craft. They showed up with water and socks, and the call ended without an arrest.
It's one of more than 25,000 calls Durham's HEART team has taken since 2022. NPR rode along to see how the model works, how officers feel about it four years in, and where it still runs into a wall.
Who to Contact:
Durham Community Safety Department (Director Ryan Smith): 984-242-3006
Sponsored by:
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New Programs
Three New Crisis Teams and a New Way Out of Court
A social worker and two crisis counselors in green uniforms and unmarked cars will take the calls police aren't built for. The chief explains why he wanted them.
The four-year SAMHSA grant starts with one team, with a plan to reach 24/7 coverage and rural parts of the county.
Officers called on the co-responder more than 10 times a week last year, and the program costs the city nothing.
Judges, prosecutors, public defenders and treatment providers in Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties are borrowing a play from recovery court. Here's who qualifies.
Resources
Funding Watch
New York State OMH: Health-led Crisis Response Pilots. Up to four awards of $2 million each over three years, with at least one in a rural area. Nonprofits, counties and municipalities can apply. Questions are due October 8 and proposals are due November 19.
Dutchess County, NY: Mobile Crisis Intervention Team RFP. The county is procuring its mobile crisis team. Proposals are due October 19.
Worth a call: Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program money reaches local departments through each state's administering agency. Fairbanks, Alaska just applied for $47,742 with no local match to put a clinician on its CIT program. Ask your state agency whether funds remain.
Under Pressure
Some sheriffs bought license plate readers and body cameras. One put every dollar into addiction treatment inside his jail. If your county is still deciding how to spend its settlement, this is the story to forward to your commissioners.
