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San Antonio expands SA Core 24/7 mental-health teams; officials press for sustained funding
Summary
The city reported SA Core's expansion to three full teams with 24/7 coverage and strong follow-up: roughly 2,874 responses Oct'Apr with only one arrest, and follow-up clinicians engaged more than 1,600 people. Council members asked how the work will be sustained as ARPA and federal grants expire.
San Antonio officials told the Public Safety Committee on May 19 that the city's SA Core mental-health response has expanded from a pilot to citywide, 24/7 coverage and is routing most people to clinical follow-up rather than arrest.
Jesse Higgins, the city's chief mental health officer, presented outcomes from SA Core and other city programs funded in part by ARPA and other settlement funds. He said the three SA Core teams provided 24/7 coverage beginning July 1, 2024, and that the program is on track for roughly 4,800 responses in FY25. For the October'April reporting period he cited 2,874 responses across the three teams and said "only 1 person out of the total of 2,874 responses was arrested by the SA Core team." Higgins described the teams as composed of a clinician, a paramedic and a mental-health-unit officer, with follow-up clinicians attempting contact at 24 hours, 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 days.
Higgins said SA Core engaged 1,645 individuals with follow-up clinicians and that 454 people received appointments with the Center for Healthcare Services. He framed SA Core's goals as reducing unnecessary arrests, routing people to appropriate care and increasing outpatient access through follow-up connections.
Committee members praised the results but urged planners to identify sustainable funding as ARPA and other one-time sources wind down. Members asked staff to provide more granular outcome data (including repeat 911 callers and response-time targets) and to work on telehealth and school-based services that can extend capacity. The committee also discussed coordination with Metro Health, SAPD, SAFD, STRAC and CHCS to maintain and scale services.
The committee requested additional outcome data to inform budget decisions; no new funding vote occurred at the meeting.
