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Norwalk renews contract with Recovery Network to extend behavioral‑health unit
Summary
The Norwalk City Council unanimously approved a fourth‑year amendment to a contract with Recovery Network Programs Inc., funding two social workers and one officer for community behavioral‑health response through June 2027 at up to $318,600.
The Norwalk City Council voted unanimously July 14 to renew a contract with Recovery Network Programs Inc. to continue the city’s Behavioral Health Unit through June 30, 2027.
Chief Walsh told the council the partnership began in July 2022 and has expanded from an initial team of one social worker and one officer to two social workers and one full‑time officer. "What began with one social worker and one officer has grown into two social workers and one full‑time officer," Chief Walsh said, and he described the program as a way to divert certain calls for service from sworn officers to social‑work professionals.
Walsh provided current‑year case data: 185 opened cases, 54 referrals to social services, 29 family‑service cases and 79 instances resulting in hospitalization or medical care. Council members praised the program’s community impact and its role in making police response more service‑oriented. Councilmember Seed said he was "glad that we continue to grow this program," and called it a model for other departments.
The approved fourth‑year amendment and associated purchase orders authorize expenditures not to exceed $318,600 for the contract period beginning July 1, 2026, and running through June 30, 2027. The motion passed on a voice vote with no recorded dissents.
The renewal continues a model the chief said has already become consultative for neighboring departments and remains oriented toward diverting non‑criminal behavioral calls to trained social‑work staff.
