LOS ANGELES (KNX) — For the first time in Los Angeles City history, nonviolent 911 calls related to homelessness will be diverted away from police and sent to trained, unarmed professionals prepared to de-escalate situations, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday.
"There's a lot of support around the idea of removing police officers from nonviolent response," Garcetti said during a press conference. "And Los Angeles is harnessing that energy to create a model that strengthens the human bonds that are essential to public safety and seeks to help, not punish, our most valuable Angelenos."
The "CIRCLE" program, a core tenant of the city's new approach to justice, will offer an unarmed response to the non-emergency calls involving homeless Angelenos, and is already being utilized in Hollywood and Venice, Garcetti said.
Beginning next month, the crisis response teams will be available 24/7 to respond to calls from LAPD’s 911 system and the police non-emergency number.
"In addition, proactive embedded response teams will be deployed during the day, seven days a week, in areas of high need within the two pilot communities," Garcetti's team said in a statement.
The goal, Garcetti said, is to build a relationship with the unhoused community to foster trust and create referrals to local services. The circle teams will consist of one outreach worker, one community ambassador and either one mental health clinician or a licensed behavioral health clinician.
"It’s imperative that we continue to create alternative approaches to address our homelessness crisis," said Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, Chair of the Public Safety Committee. "This approach aligns more appropriate responses to specific situations to optimize outcomes while also ensuring that our public safety resources are responding to emergency incidents efficiently."
The CIRCLE program was made possible by Garcetti's justice budget for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year, in which the mayor made a nearly $1 billion commitment to confront the homelessness crisis.
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