Tacoma’s Alternative Response Programs: FAQs
October 1, 2024
In 2021, the City of Tacoma began work on developing new Alternative Response services to enhance and expand on the traditional police and fire responses to public safety, with the goal of connecting more people with the right services at the right time. There are currently three Alternative Response Programs that are operational and delivering services to the community today, and they focus on three areas that compliment traditional emergency response services:
- Homelessness Outreach—HEAL Team in the Neighborhood and Community Services Department
- Behavioral Health Response—HOPE Team in the Fire Department
- Unarmed service providers for certain crime- or police-related issues—CSOs in the Police Department
Current Status of Alternative Response Programs – September 2024
At the September 17 City Council Study Session, City staff presented their quarterly update to the City Council on the progress of implementing each of the three Alternative Response areas. In sum:
- The Homeless Engagement and Alternatives (HEAL) Team has been fully staffed with eight team members since September 2023. In the first eight months of 2024 (January-August), the HEAL Team has made over 2,300 contacts with individuals experiencing homelessness. Of those contacted, 877 (38%) of those individuals expressed interest in services, and 192 (8%), were placed in shelter.
- The Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement (HOPE) Team has been operational since September 2023. In that 12-month period, HOPE Team crews made more than 1,300 contacts with nearly 500 individual community members. Of those 1,300 contacts, 461 contacts were made from dispatches, with the other 800+ being case management contacts, referral contacts, or other follow-up and outreach contacts.
- The Community Service Officer (CSO) program has been operational since June 2024. In that time, CSOs responded to more than 300 calls for service. There are currently five trained CSOs operating in the field.
Alternative Response Programs—FAQs
Q: Where does the idea for the Alternative Response Programs come from?
The three Alternative Response Programs—HEAL Team, HOPE Team, and CSOs—were established at the City Council’s direction and can be traced back to 2021 recommendations from the 21st Century Policing report and the Matrix Consulting Group report on alternatives to law enforcement responses. Feedback from the Council, community members, key stakeholders, and advocacy groups has consistently informed these efforts, ultimately leading to the expansion and enhancement of the HEAL Team and the establishment of the HOPE Team and CSOs.
Q: How is the HEAL Team different from a law enforcement response to homelessness?
The HEAL Team is staffed with eight civilian outreach specialists who respond to requests for contact with unhoused individuals at encampment locations throughout the City. The HEAL team conducts its work cooperatively with law enforcement partners who are part of TPD’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).
The HEAL Team helps unhoused individuals with referrals to supportive services and shelters throughout Tacoma. Through this work, they gather information from individuals experiencing homelessness on the causes of homelessness and effective solutions, which in turn helps inform the City’s Homelessness Strategy. The HEAL team also monitors cleanup of homeless encampments in collaboration with other City departments and contracted vendors.
Q: How is the HOPE Team different from the traditional police, firefighter, or EMT response?
The HOPE Team provides a specialized response to behavioral health calls that come through the emergency response system (911 calls). The HOPE Team responds to calls in a team of two—a registered nurse and a mental health professional. The HOPE Team also includes one case manager.
HOPE Team provides additional support to traditional Fire/EMS teams and police teams. HOPE Team services are specifically designed to effectively engage with people impacted by behavioral health, mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. HOPE Team staff have more flexibility to stay on-scene and take additional time to engage with clients and assist them with stabilization—things like de-escalation, safety planning, risk assessment, connection to resources or treatment options, or non-emergency transportation in some cases.
Q: How is the CSO program different from the typical police officer response?
Community Service Officers (CSOs) are unarmed TPD staff members who respond to calls for service that are incidents not in progress, that are routine in nature, or that pose no immediate threat. Some examples of this work include assisting with traffic control, meeting community members to assist with filing crime reports, and providing resources to community members. CSOs do not have arrest authority beyond that granted by state law to any private resident and do not carry or possess a firearm while performing their official duties.
Q: How much do these new programs cost?
The 2023-24 Biennial Budget (two years) for the three programs:
- HEAL Team in the Neighborhood and Community Services Dept. - $1.2M
- HOPE Team in the Fire Dept. - $2.5M
- CSOs in the Police Dept. - $2.2M
A portion of the 2023-24 Biennial Budget costs for HOPE Team and CSOs include one-time start-up funds for these programs, such as vehicles, equipment, etc.
Q: Will the Alternative Response Programs save the City money?
While cost savings and service efficiencies will certainly be evaluated as these programs develop more fully and as we gather more performance data, the primary goal of introducing these alternative response programs is to connect more people with the right services at the right time, whether it is an urgent behavioral health situation, non-emergency police call, or an issue related to homelessness. That means City leaders are primarily interested in whether these alternative response services allow traditional first responders like firefighters, EMTs, and police officers to focus more on their core response functions.
In short, the primary goal of introducing these Alternative Response Programs is more focused on enhancing the City’s overall public safety service delivery and getting better outcomes for the community’s public safety concerns as opposed to primarily seeking cost savings.
Q: If the Alternative Response Programs don’t necessarily save the City money (or if it won’t be known for a few years), what’s the value of these programs?
While aspects like cost savings and service-delivery efficiencies are top-of-mind, the primary goal of introducing these Alternative Response Programs is, again, to connect more people with the right resources at the right time—getting someone experiencing homelessness into shelter or housing, getting someone into substance use treatment, helping someone promptly with reporting a crime, or connecting someone with outpatient behavioral or mental health treatment are just a few examples.
Q: Can I call and request one of the Alternative Response services or staff members to respond to my location or my incident?
At this time, no. A caller can certainly make a request for specific resources or response teams, but the decision about which teams are dispatched to your specific call is made by trained expert dispatchers at South Sound 911, the Tacoma Fire Communications Center, other public safety dispatchers, or by the expert first responders in the field.
Q: Who should I call if I have a situation involving homelessness, behavioral or mental health, or need to report a crime, but I’m not sure if 911 is appropriate?
- Dial 911 for emergencies, including when a person appears to be an immediate danger to themselves or others, or if they appear seriously ill or disabled.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis (a non-life-threatening but urgent behavioral health need), call the Regional Crisis line for in-person support at 1-800-576-7764. For support over the phone, text or call 988.
- Call (253) 287-4455 for the Tacoma Police non-emergency call center.
Want more info? Go to cityoftacoma.org/communitysafety for more on Alternative Response Programs and other City Council initiatives on Community Safety.
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