Key Takeaways
- Traditional public safety responses to homelessness do not address the root causes of homelessness; it instead exacerbates the problem.
- The community responder model is an expansion of a city’s existing public safety infrastructure and offers comprehensive care to the unhoused community.
- The community responder model saves lives, prevents trauma, builds public trust and connects individuals with the resources needed to improve their quality of life and behavioral health conditions.
Traditional public safety responses to address homelessness cost cities millions and do not provide long-term solutions (PDF). 911 calls for incidents involving people navigating homelessness are typically diverted to police departments. This creates a cycle of criminal legal involvement, further displacement and overuse of emergency room medical interventions for an individual already experiencing a challenging period in their lives. As homelessness continues to be a growing crisis (PDF) impacting our nation’s cities, towns and villages, elected officials are called to develop public health-centered strategies (PDF) to address inherent quality-of-life issues and create viable long-term solutions that get to its root causes.
What Are Community Responder Models?
Across the nation, several local government leaders are adopting less costly and innovative interventions widely known as community responder models to assist with addressing chronic homelessness. Public safety calls involving unhoused persons are beyond the scope of law enforcement services, training and capacity.
Community responder models are an expansion of a city’s existing public safety infrastructure and include a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals and trained civilians. These models are typically implemented in conjunction with community-based organizations to offer holistic care for homelessness and other public health-related issues such as substance abuse, traffic infractions, etc.
This model has proven to be an effective and promising approach for local governments seeking a sustainable approach to this complex issue, reducing the demand on police departments. Community responder models supplement traditional law enforcement responses and offer comprehensive care to the unhoused community.
Model Cities Utilizing Community Responders
Municipalities like Albuquerque, N.M., Olympia, Wash., Durham, N.C. and many others have set national standards for enhancing public safety while meeting the needs of citizens experiencing homelessness through their people-centered community response teams. These cities work to successfully divert the majority of their local police calls each year while working to save annual costs associated with 911 calls.
Albuquerque, N.M. (pop. 564,559)
The City of Albuquerque’s Community Safety Department (ACS) was created in June 2020, and each year has shown an increase in the number of calls for mental health and homelessness support with nearly 45,000 calls in 2025 alone. Most of the calls were for unsheltered individuals (44 percent). Nearly 30 percent of calls resulted in no person being found at the address, reducing the need for police to respond. In fact, less than 1 percent of the calls required involvement with the police department.
Olympia, Wash. (pop. 55,605)
The Crisis Response Unit (CRU) is a voluntary assistance program founded in 2018 that facilitates service connections and offers quality-of-life resources to the unhoused community. Its services include conflict resolution, housing referrals, transportation and non-emergency care to residents. Peer specialists known as “Familiar Faces” are deployed to give empathetic support and system navigation through shared life experiences. Their daily work involves working with people who live in encampments.
Durham, N.C. (pop. 283,506)
The Durham Community Safety Department (DCSD) was established in 2021 to advance people-centric approaches to public safety, including a first response team known as HEART (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams). This team dedicates its efforts “to reduce harm, extend care and increase stability for neighbors facing crises.” Within the department’s public safety efforts is a stabilization services project leading their Continuum of Care (CoC) that specifically works to address housing insecurity.
Why Local Government Should Consider Community Responders
Community responders are not only trained to resolve crises on-site and connect individuals directly to services such as shelter, food assistance and mental/behavioral health treatment, but also cost a fraction of default emergency responses. Responders trained in trauma-informed, and de-escalation can build trust and deliver extensive support. People experiencing homelessness are more likely to engage with support services when approached by professionals with backgrounds in social work and/or lived experience.
Prioritizing housing, health and safety solutions over criminalization increases public confidence in local institutions. It also increases collaboration within public safety departments, leading to improved coordination and efficient delivery of public service.
Building a Community Responder Program in Local Government
Community responder models are not one size fits all. Localities can tailor their design and implementation based on the municipalities’ unique needs. Adopting people-centric and comprehensive strategies requires thorough planning, coordination and strong relationships among all stakeholders. As an entity with convening power, this is why it is important to embed it within local government. If your city is considering strategies to respond more effectively to public safety issues related to homelessness, here are actionable steps towards building a community responder system:
- Convene existing public safety leadership to assess local needs and demonstrate proof of concept. Ensure representation and buy-in of cross-sector partners, including health departments, law enforcement, non-profits and people with lived experiences of homelessness.
- Gather public safety data to review trends and analyze data to shape the design of a pilot program. Identify persistent quality of life and behavioral health calls to divert. Develop a plan to evaluate the community responder program.
- Conduct community engagement and outreach to raise awareness about the launch of the pilot and gather feedback from residents.
- Integrate responder teams into your 911 or 311 system to ensure a clear process for routing eligible calls.
- Collect and publish data on outcomes, including response times, service connections and cost savings. Conduct continuous improvement plan based on outcomes.
- Reinvest savings from reduced jail and emergency services costs into housing, treatment and prevention initiatives.
Conclusion
Homelessness is not a crime. It is a symptom of broader social and economic inequities that demand intentional and sustainable interventions. Community responder models embody this direction towards an enhanced public safety system that shifts from punishment to prevention and crises to humane care.
This strategy doesn’t just save costs — it also saves lives, prevents trauma, builds public trust and connects individuals with the resources needed to improve their quality of life and behavioral health conditions. The savings can, in turn, be reinvested into housing, mental health, substance use and proactive neighborhood safety efforts. Public safety agencies recognize the importance of investing in comprehensive and transformative safety solutions.
About the Author
