The pilot program is one of city's efforts to provide better support to those experiencing homelessness, suffering from mental health or addiction issues.
"The goal of this pilot program is to meet people in distress with the right services and professionals who can get them the help they need," Mayor London Breed said in a tweet.
The program is designed to "reduce law enforcement responses to non-violent activity," letting police focus on public safety.
Starting this morning, our first Street Crisis Response Team is now operating and responding to 911 calls relating to mental health or addiction in San Francisco.
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) November 30, 2020
This will allow us to reduce law enforcement responses to non-violent activity and let them focus on public safety. pic.twitter.com/19SkI8MBbq
The goal of this pilot program is to meet people in distress with the right services and professionals who can get them the help they need.
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) November 30, 2020
We need to end the cycle of people not getting treated, only to be released back on the street once again.
The team includes a behavioral health clinician, peer specialist, medical professional as well as the San Francisco Fire Department. The team will assess each situation on case-by-case basis before connecting clients with behavioral health support, on-scene counseling or ambulance transport.
The first group launched Monday focuses on calls in the Tenderloin, District 6 supervisor Matt Haney tweeted. They will be dispatched by 911 calls initially to respond to non-violent calls between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The city plans on expanding to six teams in the coming months providing 24/7 support throughout San Francisco.
The first team will launch today, and will initially operate M-F 10am-6pm, focusing on calls in the TL. and then in the coming months it will expand to 6 teams with 24/7 coverage. The teams will be dispatched via 911, at least initially. T
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) November 30, 2020
