Committee approves $1.13 million contract to continue Elm City Compass crisis team

The New Haven Board of Alders’ Health and Human Services Committee voted July 24 to authorize an agreement with Continuum of Care not to exceed $1,128,416.12 for the Elm City Compass crisis response team for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Eli Stavenhart, chair of the committee, called the meeting and the committee approved the item by voice vote; the transcript records members saying “aye” and the item passed, with a recorded tally not specified in the meeting record.

The contract continues the program’s existing response hours and staffing model while the city transitions management away from Yale University and toward direct contracting with Continuum of Care. “We are here tonight to present, proposal to enter into a contract with continuum of care to continue the Elm City Compass team operations,” presenter Lorena Mitchell said. Mitchell described the fiscal-year contract as a transitional year intended to allow the city to “take a step back, evaluate, understand where we’ve been and how we can move forward.”

Why it matters: Elm City Compass provides non-police crisis response for people experiencing…