On March 7, 2025, the City Council voted to allocate over $1.4 million for Integral Care's Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (EMCOT) to improve mental health crisis response. This funding aims to enhance the program's operations, allowing for 24/7 services and addressing staffing shortages in mental health care. Council Member Ryan Alter spearheaded the funding initiative, with support from Aloki Shah, who emphasized the importance of non-police crisis interventions. This decision reflects a growing commitment to prioritizing mental health care over law enforcement in crisis situations, particularly in light of past tragedies.
The work you are funding here - funding mental health crisis teams, expanding non-police responses to crises and recognizing the value of this approach - is setting an example for the rest of the country.
This amendment is a testament to the city's commitment to a future where mental health care is prioritized, where crisis response does not default to law enforcement and lives are protected instead of lost.
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