Title
Community Assistance Program (CAP) Update
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee with an update on the Community Assistance Program expansion.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
In June 2021, the City Council approved $15 million in the Fiscal Year 2021-22 City Budget to expand the Community Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a proven model to assist residents experiencing a traumatic event, behavioral health crisis, or other social welfare concern. CAP is the foundation of our efforts to address those community needs that don’t expressly align with the mission of traditional emergency and public safety services. To meet the diverse needs of those we serve, the CAP team continues collaborating with community partners and connecting individuals with appropriate resources.
The CAP expansion has made considerable progress over the 2023 year to achieve long-term program success and sustainability. The vision is to increase the number of Crisis Response Units (CRUs) to 10 and Behavioral Health Units (BHUs) to nine. A multidisciplinary team of City departments has been working to support this vision. In summary, there have been several key accomplishments made in 2023 across staffing, call response, locations, and services highlighted below:
The expansion of CAP included the creation of 130 new full time positions. Of these approved positions, CAP staff have filled 73 positions. The positions filled include the Deputy Director, Casework Services Coordinators, part-time and full-time Caseworker IIs and IIIs, and Behavioral Health Dispatchers. CAP successfully hired several Caseworker IIs and IIIs through the partnership with Human Resources staff to complete multiple hiring events in 2023. The commitment to hire five Behavioral Health Dispatchers allows dedicated staff to engage with 911 callers, triage, and connect callers with needed services. In addition to hiring new City staff, CAP has been partnering with external agencies to augment staffing and skills. CAP hired 11 contracted Peer Support Specialists with lived experience skills that provide BHU services and staffing to maintain the number of units in service.
The additional CAP staff hired allowed for the expansion of CAP units into service in August 2023. BHUs increased from one to four units, allowing staff to offer citywide coverage and response. CRUs increased from five to six units available for response. The increase in overall CAP resources and capacity has positively benefited the community.
With the increase of new CAP staff and units, training and development have been a focus to equip staff with the tools and resources to serve the community. CAP staff receive extensive training and education before assignment to response units. In addition to routine training, the CAP team constantly seeks opportunities to better serve the community. One recent addition has been to carry naloxone on most BHUs and CRUs. This additional service was added after working with the City’s Office of Public Health to deliver Narcan training to CAP staff. CAP staff continue to evolve their skills and resources to deliver increased value to the community served.
One of the goals of creating the BHUs is to create an alternative response to incoming 9-1-1 calls that does not require police, fire, or EMS response. To achieve this goal, the CAP program started in August 2022 with a limited response area and a single BHU unit. For the first month, there were 18 calls for service identified by police to be transferred to a BHU dispatcher for triage and service. After one year of building the CAP team, as of August 2023, police transferred 128 calls to a BHU dispatcher supported by four BHUs providing citywide response. The seven-fold increase in calls transferred from police is an improvement. The calls transferred from police to a BHU dispatcher reflect a portion of the total BHU call volume. From January to November 2023, BHU staff responded to 1,818 total calls for service. The BHU total calls for service include calls transferred from police, the fire regional dispatch center, BHU staff completing outreach, and responding to requests for assistance by on-scene police or fire personnel. CAP, Police, and Fire staff continue working together to refine dispatch practices to reach the goal of creating a BHU alternative response as appropriate.
As CAP increased staffing and units for service, location expansion planning has also been a priority in 2023 and will continue to be in 2024. CAP currently has eight locations across the City. In 2023, the Mayor and City Council approved leasing three additional locations for CAP units, two in central Phoenix and one in west Phoenix. CAP took occupancy at a Grand Canyon University building at 2657 W. Camelback Road in December 2023. This location will initially house one BHU and will expand over time. CAP anticipates occupying the Downtown PHX Inc. location at 1 E. Washington St. and a Neighborhood Services Department building at 1229 E. Washington St. in 2024. Both sites will house a BHU team. Additionally, the upcoming build of Fire Station 62 includes plans to build space to support a CAP unit. With the recent General Obligation (GO) Bond approval, the Fire Department will work with CAP to modify the bond-approved old fire stations to house CAP units as a permanent space for future growth.
With the City Council's approval in 2023, the City Manager’s Office is establishing a Community Mental Health Wellness & Safety Task Force. The task force will be a community-led group charged with examining the mental health wellness and safety needs of Phoenix residents, educating residents on existing programs and resources, reviewing the effectiveness of City mental health-related programs and services, and keeping an open dialogue between City leadership, staff, and communities. The City received 77 applications for the task force. Candidates have been moved forward for the City Manager’s review and approval. The goal is to hold the first meeting in collaboration with the Office of Public Health by early 2024.
Looking ahead to 2024, CAP will continue to focus on filling remaining vacant positions to bring more units into service, investing in the development and training of staff, building additional locations, and streamlining processes to improve community outreach and services.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer, and the Fire Department.