City Council is expected to approve the launch of the long-awaited West Hollywood Care Team at their meeting Monday night.
They will receive a progress update on the the behavioral health crisis response program’s development and will likely OK an agreement with Hathaway-Sycamores (Sycamores) to operate the Care Team.
The program will operate 24/7/365, including holidays, with the goal of meeting the high expectations and response time requirements of the West Hollywood community. By collaborating with the LA County Department of Mental Health’s Alternative Crisis Response System, West Hollywood aims to ensure effective and efficient access to the extensive mental health resources provided by the County.
The integration begins with the establishment of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Help Line as the main number for community members to call for assistance. The 988 Help Line, available to West Hollywood residents, operates around the clock and is staffed by crisis counselors. The program is funded by the LA County Department of Mental Health, with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services selected to operate the program. Didi Hirsch is an agency with extensive experience in crisis counseling and suicide prevention.
When a crisis counselor determines that in-person support is necessary within the city limits, the West Hollywood Care Team will be concurrently dispatched alongside the DMH-funded psychiatric evaluation team from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s ACCESS Center. The Care Team will provide on-scene response and address behavioral health crisis needs, focusing on stabilizing individuals safely in their current environment. The majority of individuals are expected to stabilize with the support of the Care Team, which will then connect them with contracted social service agencies in West Hollywood for ongoing assistance related to the underlying causes of their crisis.
If additional acute mental health support is required during the engagement, the Care Team will transfer the individual to the DMH mobile crisis evaluation team for a comprehensive mental health assessment. In cases where more intensive care is necessary, the community member will be transported to acute psychiatric services within the Los Angeles County DMH system. West Hollywood is actively collaborating with DMH to develop a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will formalize the operational partnership and facilitate continuity of care between the Care Team and DMH teams.
To operate the Care Team, West Hollywood will enter into a sole-source agreement with Hathaway-Sycamores, a non-profit organization selected by the LA County Department of Mental Health to provide Alternative Crisis Response services in Service Planning Area (SPA) 4, which includes West Hollywood. Hathaway-Sycamores will serve as the operator of the West Hollywood Care Team, aligning the program with the County’s initiatives.
The agreement with Hathaway-Sycamores includes a budget of $2,186,836 until June 30, 2024, with the option to renew for two additional years, totaling $7,737,021. This budget incorporates start-up capital expenses necessary for Sycamores to acquire the vehicles and equipment essential for the operations of the Care Team. West Hollywood plans to explore external funding opportunities and apply for grants that align with the program’s objectives to supplement the funding from the West Hollywood General Fund.
The West Hollywood Care Team will work in close collaboration with the LA County Sheriff’s Department and the LA County Fire Department, providing on-scene support to community members who are first served by these agencies. The Care Team will serve as a secondary support option, offering behavioral health crisis assistance that does not involve law enforcement. When Sheriff’s deputies or fire personnel determine that the Care Team is needed, they will request backup, and the Care Team will facilitate a warm handoff to provide immediate support and link individuals to appropriate resources.
The Care Team will also work closely with the West Hollywood Block by Block security ambassadors. This collaboration will provide the Ambassadors with an additional option to request assistance for behavioral health crises without relying solely on the response of the Sheriff’s deputies.
To ensure community awareness and education about the availability of crisis support services, West Hollywood plans to launch a sustained community awareness campaign. This comprehensive campaign will be supported by professional communications services and will focus on promoting the Care Team program and increasing understanding of the services accessible through the 988 system.
West Hollywood is committed to accountability and transparency regarding the Care Team program’s impact. To achieve this, the City plans to provide regular updates to the community through monthly impact reports, bi-annual virtual webinars, and annual updates to the City Council. Additionally, an online comment box will be available to facilitate community feedback and engagement.
The West Hollywood Care Team is expected to commence operations in the fall of 2023, pending approval by the City Council.
What is the West Hollywood Care Team?
The Care Team will serve the community as a mobile behavioral health crisis response program.
When does the Care Team program start, and what hours will it be available?
The Care Team is expected to launch in Fall 2023. The first shift will be Monday through Friday, 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM. The goal is to operate around the clock, all year long, including holidays, by year two.
What services will be provided?
The Care Team will provide crisis stabilization, safety planning, connection to community resources, and follow-up support. Services are delivered using a harm-reduction, trauma-informed, and culturally competent approach. The Care Team will ride in an unmarked passenger vehicle with no lights and sirens to prevent stigma and to provide respectful care to people in crisis.
Why is the Care Team needed?
The City’s existing first responder system is best equipped to address law enforcement and life-safety emergencies. When community members experience a behavioral health crisis, there are limited support options available to meet their needs in the moment. By creating the Care Team, the City makes behavioral health support a viable option for assistance in a crisis. Establishing a non-law enforcement crisis response program advances the City’s core values and improves community quality of life. The Care Team demonstrates the City’s commitment to advancing racial justice and social equity.
Who will operate the West Hollywood Care Team?
The City has selected Sycamores, a non-profit social service organization, to operate the West Hollywood Care Team. Sycamores was selected because of their track record of providing vital mental health services, and they are an existing partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, providing mobile crisis outreach services. The Care Team is staffed by two Peer Support Specialists who meet the community member in crisis. A Peer Support Specialist has lived experience with mental health services, substance abuse, and/or homelessness. Peer Support Specialists bring first-hand insight into what the individual in crisis and their families may be experiencing.
What is the Care Team budget?
The Care Team’s three-year budget is allocated from the City’s General Fund and planned as follows: Year 1 – $2,213,314; Year 2 – $2,767,011; Year 3 – $2,850,021.
How will community members request the Care Team?
Community members will call 9-8-8 and speak with trained counselors who will assess for mental health crisis needs and provide community resources when appropriate. When the counselors on the phone determine that the crisis needs in-person support, the West Hollywood Care Team will be able to respond to the location to provide services. The Care Team will also respond to requests for on-scene support from West Hollywood Sheriff’s Deputies and LA County Fire personnel when a community member’s needs are determined best matched for Care Team services.
We should keep in mind that this program was proposed by Nika Soong Ong in order to free up deputies from having to deal with homeless people in crisis. But the model here seems to be that when there is someone in crisis, law enforcement is likely to be involved. So we are not going to see a lot of “savings” from the Sheriff’s budget. If we only have about 150 homeless people, then this $2.1 million dollar program works out to about $14,000.00 per person. And that price tag is only for getting a person through a mental health… Read more »
We were on a Non-Profit Crisis Intervention team in 1997 in West Hollywood and although I was trained and carried handcuffs, I still almost was killed as LASD in Weho was not behind us or did they respond properly and the Non-Profit Streetcats 501.c3 in those years was all there was, plus I did Crisis Hotline Calls from Midnight to 8am with the A.A Central Office for Emergency Response/Relapse/Suicide Calls, and made a large impact and it was pure donation per Request of Community leaders. I was then trained by Dept of Justice in Victim Advocacy in 27 specialized areas,… Read more »
What specifically is a “behavioral health crisis”?
A Smash and Grab? That’s pretty bad behavior.
“The majority of individuals are expected to stabilize with the support of the Care Team…”
Wow, who knew solving the homeless mental health crisis would be so easy?!
Duh! Exactly. Every politician who’s been around for the last 15 years should be removed from office or have their pensions taken away.
It’s mind bendingly unbelievable that no one had developed a mechanism for putting these folks in a place where they could receive adequate treatment and refrain from harming themselves and others. These feel good enterprises make the people implementing them feel good but fails to measurable or sustainably cure the issue.
Another genius idea……that ignores reality.
And what happens when the person in crisis pulls a gun or knife or bomb?
In my case I almost died and no one was arrested when my neck was almost broken, as I did not have support of Weho LASD showing up with 911 and when they did, they did not arrest three drug dealers that surprised us when picking up a fallen actress for a scheduled Rehab Intervention placement, imaging being pinned on the ground and a huge male that looked large, muscular and straight out of prison pinning you to the ground, neck strangulation on top of your belly, and you start to black out, so I was almost murdered, crushed vocal… Read more »