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City updates SA CORE: three 24/7 mental-health response teams log ~4,800 responses
Summary
City mental-health officials briefed the committee on SA CORE expansion, ARPA-funded counseling contracts and crisis-response metrics, reporting roughly 4,800 multidisciplinary responses year-to-date and improvements in follow-up contact; councilmembers sought clarity on long-term funding and repeat-caller tracking.
Jesse Hikes, head of mental-health initiatives for the city, told the Public Safety Committee on May 19 that the city has expanded multidisciplinary SA CORE teams and deployed ARPA-funded contracts to broaden counseling, diagnostics and youth services. “We started with a pilot in April 2022 and now have three 24-hour teams,” Hikes said.
Hikes described contract outcomes funded with ARPA and city general funds, saying 63% of youth clients attended four or more sessions and that 46% of participants reported reductions in depression, stress or anxiety; staff said 54% of adult participants reported improvements in well-being. Hikes also outlined services for youth experiencing homelessness, case management and transportation support tied to two-year contracts that began in August 2023.
On crisis response, Hikes presented 911 mental-health call trends from 2019–2024 and said that, with three 24/7 teams, the program recorded roughly 4,800 responses in the current reporting period (seven months). He said most contacts were resolved on scene with limited arrests and described follow-up at 24, 30, 60 and 90 days to connect individuals to care.
Councilmembers praised the program’s expansion but pressed staff on sustainability when ARPA funds expire and on how the city is tracking repeat callers and citation outcomes. Hikes said some contract numbers are still being finalized and offered to supply further metrics to the committee.
Committee members thanked staff for the update and indicated they will weigh funding decisions during upcoming budget discussions.
