San Rafael’s decision to deploy a specialized crisis unit to deal with emergencies involving mentally ill and homeless people is a wise move, removing police officers and firefighters from the challenges of those difficult dilemmas.
The City Council approved hiring a crisis response team – the nonprofit Petaluma People Services Center – to a three-year pilot program, at a cost not to exceed $775,000 per year.
That’s a large sum, but a much smarter investment of taxpayer dollars when you consider the cost of having police officers and firefighters handling these cases.
From a personnel cost, it not only likely costs a lot more, but the time these cases take can also divert emergency responders from other calls and tasks.
City staff estimates that could mean approximately 4,000 emergency calls each year.
The county has a mobile crisis team, but the city’s contract would focus on cases in San Rafael — a service that’s going to require full-time staff, including crisis intervention specialists and emergency medical technicians. The team would have one bilingual member on each shift.
His job would not only include emergency response, but follow-up services, especially in helping deal with homeless calls.
The pilot also addresses the call for increasing social services as a peacekeeping strategy.
For now, the city will be tapping money it is receiving from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and funds it had been paying as its share of the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force, which was disbanded in 2020.
The council should regularly review the work and success of the team to determine if changes in staffing or hours are required.
“As presented in concept, this alternative response resource is to provide services and support to the vulnerable population within our community,” San Rafael police Lt. Todd Berringer, the program’s City Hall manager, explained.
Such cases represent about 8% of the 911 calls the city receives.
Getting these cases quickly in the hands of experienced mental health and trained crisis intervention teams is key, not only in reducing the number of repeat calls, but, more importantly, directing those who should get help to the treatment and support they need.
If that intervention can help keep people out of jail and out of trouble, that would also be a plus for taxpayers.
For many years, the tasks of providing mental health and social service programs were the job of the county, which received state and federal funding for that role.
But the need for local services has outgrown the level the county provides.
The significant costs incurred by the cities of San Rafael, Novato and Sausalito in dealing with homeless encampments is an example.
San Rafael’s new program should put it in line for county, state and federal funding. The Biden administration has made crisis intervention a budget priority.
The ultimate goal is to provide prompt and effective intervention, for those facing such crises, the community and city police officers and firefighters who have shouldered the rise in those calls.