Daily Hampshire Gazette – Setting up on the streets: Six months later, the Community Care department finds a niche in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON – In September, the city launched an experiment to try to create an alternative to police responses to address issues of mental health, homelessness and social inequality in the city.

The Division of Community Care, which opened its doors and hit the streets six months ago, was created under the umbrella of the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, following the recommendation of the Northampton Policing Review Commission. The commission itself was formed in 2021 after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests and calls for change in traditional policing.

What does service delivery to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents look like in practice? Members of the DCC, people who have relied on them for help, and downtown businesses paint a picture of an organization committed to its cause and a welcome addition to the city’s services, but some admit that the organization is still in the early stages of figuring out how to best achieve its mission.

Walking through the front doors of the DCC headquarters in Roundhouse Plaza, near the center of the city, you enter a communal area with sofas and coffee tables, where basic refreshments such as coffee, water and bagels are available. Other amenities include a public restroom, hats and gloves for the cold winter months, and Narcan available on site in case of a possible overdose.

In another room, DCC staff, known as community responders, sit one-on-one with residents to help them with specific services, such as applying for food stamps or affordable housing.

The city’s Health & Human Services directory lists nine people as part of the DCC’s community response team. Carlos McBride, one of the DCC’s lead responders, said members undergo a two-month training period for the role as they are instructed on aspects of dealing with the mental health issues they may face during a call.

‘We have given a lot of training to people who talk about suicide. One of my favorite workouts is hearing voices, which is learning to listen to a person who might qualify. I hate the word schizophrenic, but for lack of another word,” he said. “The training helped us think about our ability to deal with someone else’s crisis or situation.”

Community responders also engage in daily walks around the city (the word “patrol” is discouraged), collecting needles they encounter on bike routes and stopping regularly to greet members of the city’s homeless population, many of whom already have a relationship with the community. desk. Respondents wear jackets that identify them as part of the DCC, with the aim of establishing the organization as a known and trusted community asset.

Several downtown businesses have received flyers about the DCC and have been informed about the option to call them instead of the police if they see a person in crisis. Rose Harasymiw, an employee at downtown design store Assemble, said she saw the DCC as a welcome option.

“I’ve recommended them to a number of people who have a few episodes on the street. And the reactions are positive,” she says. “I feel like it will always be a better alternative to have a trained mental health professional dealing with someone who is going through a mental health episode.”

Another crucial aspect for DCC responders is the emphasis on de-escalating situations, which reduces the possibility that responding to a crisis situation will lead to physical danger. McBride says if a responder feels he or she is in danger, other emergency personnel can be called in.

“We don’t deal with anything that’s violent, and if there’s a serious situation where someone is in real danger, we call the EMTs,” McBride said. “We had workshops on de-escalation, listening and paying attention to the climate in an area.”

Kristen Rhodes, the director of the DCC, said she has learned since starting operations that a key to achieving the organization’s goals is building and maintaining relationships with people who access their services.

“We really spent a lot of time building and expanding our community space so as not to duplicate things that people already had access to,” Rhodes said. “By setting up a space where people can come in and have that kind of safety and understanding of what (the DCC) is, it makes the job easier.”

Others report that they have had a difficult time reaching DCC members. Terri Pajak, who manages the Hospice Shop thrift store, said she once tried to call DCC to arrange transportation for a homeless person outside their store, but the organization never responded. “I think it’s a good option, but the issues need to be resolved,” she said.

According to the DCC, from September through the end of February, the department assisted more than 250 unique walk-ins and received 106 unique calls and 30 referrals from law enforcement. The DCC also recorded more than 1,400 cases of repeat walk-ins.

“I would say at this point we have three to four follow-ups for each unique point of contact,” said Michele Farry, the city’s deputy health commissioner. “So that in itself indicates that people trust and use our services, because they take the initiative to come back.”

Beau Nichols is one such person who has helped the department. Nichols said he had been living in a wooded area behind the bowling alley last winter when his encampment was flooded, meaning he had to swim out of near-freezing water to escape. The DCC, he said, helped him find new warm clothes for the Salvation Army. “They pretty much saved my life,” he said.

Nichols knows of others who are more critical of DCC services, but said he disagrees. “People call them useless, but really they’re just angry because they don’t get their way or because something specific they want isn’t available,” he said.

Still, community responders recognized that the division can only do so much with current resources.

“There are a lot of difficult things, things that you have to tackle in any type of social work. There are a lot of people who need help and there are not enough resources available to help people,” said Dylan Caçador, another community outreach worker for DCC. “But it’s very rewarding when you get the good success stories, even if it’s something that could be considered simple.”

When asked if there was an issue that would provide the greatest help to people served by DCC, Caçador responded quickly.

“Housing. 100%,” he said. “That’s not even a question.”

The problem of homelessness remains prominent in the city, with encampments in areas along Texas Road and panhandlers in the downtown area. McBride says the DCC’s main focus is helping those in need.

“We do not enforce. We never let anyone move anywhere,” McBride said. “We just want to know everyone, get in touch with everyone, discover what needs people are missing and try to address them as best we can.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at [email protected].