Search

Issue

Crisis response without police

Co-response teams and the Office of Community Health and Safety.

Most mentioned elected officials

  1. Khari Mosley · 1 story

The latest

City Council

Street outreach program looks at an $800,000 boost to reach more homeless residents.

ROOTS, a city outreach team, connects homeless residents with shelters and medical and mental health care. On June 17, council advanced an $800,000, one-year county contract to expand it. Currently, it runs weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 16 staff. The money would add 10 staff and extend hours to 11 p.m. on weeknights, plus some weekend daytime coverage.

Follow the issues:

Shelter and outreach for unhoused residentsCrisis response without police

City Council

Health and Safety workers reach out where the police can’t.

Since Nov. 17, residents can request a crisis team through 911. Under a new model, social workers from the Office of Community Health and Safety ride in pairs without police. Their response time averages 10 minutes, about the same as EMS, an assistant public safety director said. For now, though, the teams work only during weekday business hours.

Follow the issues:

Crisis response without policeWhere the Stop the Violence money goesPittsburgh's yearly budget fights

City Council

Nonprofit to support teams of police, social workers.

Co-response teams pair social workers with police on mental health calls, but only weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They also cover just three of the city's six police zones. Now, the Department of Public Safety wants council to approve a $483,000 nonprofit donation for Downtown coverage. The public safety director said it would mainly pay for police overtime.

Follow the issues:

Crisis response without police