DeLauro, Local Leaders Hold Roundtable on Community Safety, Creation of City of New Haven's Community Crisis Response Team

Statement

Today, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) joined City of New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Acting New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez, and city and community leaders to discuss how the New Haven Community Crisis Response Team, funded in part through the federal spending package, will be worked into the existing 911, non-emergency dispatch system and the human services network within Greater New Haven. This mobile crisis team will be integrated into New Haven's newly proposed Department of Community Resiliency and will respond to incidents that may be best addressed by trained social services staff utilizing a suite of services and programs. Today, the City of New Haven announced the Community Crisis Response Team will be renamed "Elm City COMPASS -- Compassion Allies Serving Our Street."

"As Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, my focus is securing funds that make a difference in our communities, support working people, and keep families safe," said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. "The community project funding for the City of New Haven's Elm City COMPASS gives our city an opportunity to create an intervention team that responds directly to emergency calls related to behavioral and mental health. Our EMS, police, fire, and public safety workers often find themselves responding to calls related to homelessness, mental illness, and trauma, and we must ensure we have the systems in place to adequately respond to emergency mental health crises. Our emergency dispatch systems need specialists who can identify mental health issues and get people proper assistance. Mental healthcare visits for youth in Connecticut have nearly tripled, from 5,000 in 2008 to 14,000 in 2018. Community-based mental health services are more in demand than ever before, and I am proud that through federal assistance, we are building a comprehensive support system to respond to public safety here in the City of New Haven.

"My administration is always asking how City government can better serve New Haven residents," said Mayor of New Haven Justin Elicker. "Today, thanks to the hard work of Congresswoman DeLauro, I am proud to announce we will be receiving much-needed funding to create a crisis response team, now named Elm City Compassionate Allies Serving our Streets Community (Elm City COMPASS). Elm City COMPASS will be a state-of-the-art mobile crisis team staffed by Continuum of Care with oversight from Yale/CMHC and the Consultation Center. The team, led by mental health professionals, will be integrated into the City's 9-1-1 dispatch system. Congresswoman DeLauro has long championed the needs of New Haven residents, and this is just the latest example of her advocacy and work on our behalf, especially vulnerable city residents dealing with mental health challenges who are most likely to need specialized professional intervention in times of crisis."

"The success of the New Haven Police Department is in part built by the deep rooted tradition of partnerships and collaboration," said Acting New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez. "The formation of the New Haven Community Crisis Response Team is another partnership that not only continues this tradition but aids in our continuous progression of the services we provide our community. The New Haven Police Department cannot do this alone. We embrace this new partnership and look forward to the enhanced work we, as a City and an agency, will provide to the citizens of New Haven."

"With today's announcement we're another step closer to implementing the Elm City COMPASS team in New Haven" said Community Services Administrator Dr. Mehul Dalal. "The Community Project Funding will support us to pilot a state-of-the art collaborative program tailored to the needs of our communities."

"Thanks to Rep. DeLauro, we will be able to implement a state of the art crisis response team to address social issues that go beyond policing," said Special Projects Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo. "Our approach is very unique because we embedded an evaluation system that will ensure one of the highest standards in the whole nation for this type of services. Our goal is to ensure that our residents have the highest quality of service and hold our contractor accountable for the work that they will perform."

DeLauro secured more than $13 million for community projects throughout Connecticut's Third Congressional District, including $2 million in Community Project Funding for the City of New Haven's Community Crisis Response Team. Chair DeLauro led House Democrats in passing a package of 12 government spending bills, which included dedicated funding for community projects nationwide for the first time in more than ten years. This funding, included in the federal spending package introduced by Chair DeLauro, responds directly to some of the most pressing needs facing people across Connecticut.

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