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Police and fire co‑response teams expand crisis work; APD HOPE and MIT report hundreds of contacts
Summary
Anchorage Police and Fire Department officials described expanded co‑response teams at a homelessness summit, including the HOPE team, Mobile Intervention Teams and a mobile crisis team that the municipality is expanding to 24/7 coverage.
Anchorage public‑safety leaders told a homelessness summit that the city’s co‑response and mobile crisis teams are handling thousands of contacts and that officials are expanding hours and clinical staffing.
Lieutenant Brian Fuchs of the Anchorage Police Department said the department’s HOPE co‑response team and related outreach units have engaged hundreds of people living in camps and that the unit’s street‑level work has led to housing placements and treatment enrollments.
"They've had 950 contacts with campers," Fuchs said about the six‑month period since the current HOPE configuration was created, and he reported that outreach work helped place people into housing and treatment.
Mobile Intervention Team and mobile crisis work
The department also runs Mobile Intervention Teams (MITs), each staffed with a clinician paired with a crisis‑trained officer. APD officials said MITs responded to more than 3,000 calls for service in 2024; in that year the teams reported 2,587 cases stabilized in place, 103 transports to hospital, 146 emergency remands and 85 arrests, reflecting the teams’ emphasis on diversion and stabilization rather than arrest.
Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Ben Lewis described the municipality’s Mobile Crisis Team (MCT), a clinician paired with an EMT or paramedic. Lewis said a pilot program demonstrated strong results and the administration is expanding the MCT toward full 24/7 coverage; the department was hiring additional licensed clinicians to staff the expansion.
Why it matters
Officials said co‑response units and clinical mobile teams reduce burdens on emergency departments, provide wound care and other frontline services, and create connections to treatment and housing. Summit panelists stressed that trust‑building through repeated, consistent outreach is central to moving people toward services and housing.
Examples from outreach
HOPE team co‑responders Ruth and Tanya described street‑level relationship building: frequent, persistent contacts; coordination with community providers for immediate referrals; and examples where single clients were supported over months until housing stabilized. They said outreach can range from a one‑contact assistance to prolonged engagement that includes wound care and transport to services.
Next steps
APD and the fire department urged community partners to coordinate referrals and to take advantage of ride‑along and information opportunities with MCT and MIT teams. Officials encouraged the public to use 311 (for non‑emergencies) and 911 for imminent threats; panelists reiterated that outreach teams prioritize stabilization and linkage to services.
