Title
Bureau of Justice Assistance Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Grant (Ordinance S-51680) - Citywide
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to allow the Police Department to apply for, accept, and enter into an agreement with the Bureau of Justice Assistance Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Grant in an amount not to exceed $550,000. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The Bureau of Justice Assistance Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Grant is specifically designed to support law enforcement and behavioral health collaboration to improve public health and public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Funding will be used to develop new or enhance an existing law enforcement-behavioral health response to people with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with law enforcement.
This proposed project would be a partnership between Police, 911 Telecommunications, Office of Homeless Solutions, the Fire Department Community Assistance Program (CAP), MercyCare, and La Frontera EMPACT. It would entail developing a process to better identify candidates in need of outreach and follow-up, a screening process to ensure safety of civilian outreach personnel, an improved process for making the referral, a method for tracking referrals, training staff on any process changes, tracking outcomes in a way that is accessible across departments, and a system of reporting results. The first year of this grant is reserved for planning and training. The Police Department will work with MercyCare, CAP, and EMPACT to provide outreach and follow up services.
The grant application is due on April 3, 2025. If approved, the Police Department will move forward with submitting our application.
Contract Term
The project period is for three years and will begin on October 1, 2025, with two one-year extension options.
Financial Impact
For the first and second years, a 20 percent cash or in-kind match is required, and for the third year, a 40 percent cash or in-kind match is required. Personnel costs would be used for the required in-kind match for each year, as this program currently uses staff time to run. This funding is currently available in the Police Department, Fire Department, and the Office of Homeless Solutions budgets.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Managers Ginger Spencer and Gina Montes, the Police and Fire departments, and the Office of Homeless Solutions.