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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced a pilot program to have unarmed outreach teams response to nonviolent 911 calls involving people experiencing homelessness.
The Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement program will begin in December, with teams comprising one outreach worker, one mental health clinician or licensed behavioral health clinician and one community ambassador available 24/7 to respond to diverted calls out of Venice and Hollywood.
``There's a lot of support around the idea of removing police officers from nonviolent response, and Los Angeles is harnessing that energy to create a model that strengthens the human bonds that are essential to public safety and seeks to help, not punish, our most vulnerable Angelenos,'' Garcetti said.
``CIRCLE will ensure that our unhoused neighbors are met with the compassion and care they deserve, and is another step in the direction toward our ultimate goal: ending homelessness in Los Angeles.''
Teams will also be proactively deployed during the day to areas deemed high-need. The mayor's office said the teams will work to get to know the homeless community, conduct light sanitation work, de-escalate situations and create referrals to local service providers.
``You couldn't have a clearer example of this country lacking a robust social safety net than when people with guns show up to respond to a nonviolent, mental health crisis,'' Council President Nury Martinez said.
The city contracted Urban Alchemy as the service provider for the program. Lena Miller, Urban Alchemy's CEO, said the program ``leverages the hard-earned wisdom and emotional intelligence of practitioners who have life experience that enables them to unflinchingly engage individuals who are in the throes of anger, distress, despair, or a psychotic break to de-escalate, calm, and ultimately heal.''