INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis city county council approved the 2024 budget Monday night and that includes more money for the city's Clinician-Led Community Response Team.
Right now, Marion County's Clinician-led response team only responds to mental health crises that are happening in the downtown area. Come 2024, that service will expand to the city’s east side.
"It makes me feel really hopeful, it really does,” Liz Moser said.
Moser knows the pain of losing a loved one to a mental health crisis firsthand. Her son Adam was in Florida when he threatened to kill himself. His wife called police hoping for help. Instead, Adam was shot 5 times even though he was unarmed. Despite this happening in a different city, Moser is glad to see this change happen here in Indy and has advocated for the change since her son’s death.
"Right now, when I know people who are having a mental health crisis in their home, I would have told them do not call 911, do not do it,” Moser said. “I don't feel that way now, because I believe in my heart now a clinician led professional will respond.”
The Clinician-led response program started as a pilot in July. The additional million dollars in funding will allow them to hire around 12 more employees for a total of 24. From July to September the team has responded to around 50 calls just in the downtown district.
In 2024 they will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, both downtown and for the first time on the city’s east side. They currently operate 7 days a week from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
"We know that the community mental health centers are there,” Alissa Clark a Member of the Clinician-Led Community Response Team said. “To be able to deal with crises in real time and have somebody to respond to individuals in the community and have that rapport built is important. We provide brief interactions and brief services, but we follow up and make sure that you're connected and provided with the resources you need. “
Another portion of the budget that is focused on helping the east side is making the Peacemakers a permanent program. The Peacemakers work at disrupting and interrupting violence across the city. They do so by showing up at shooting scenes to prevent retaliation and provide families with resources. Before the program was funded through American Rescue Plan dollars. They currently have around 80 young men and women they are helping turn lives around.
"I look forward to next year to get more community input maybe get some town halls going right,” Shardae Hoskins the Lead Program Manager for Indy Peace Fellowship said. “We want to hear from you guys in large not just in the small groups that we can sometimes be in. "
As for mental health advocates like Liz Moser, she hopes more cities and counties will follow in Indianapolis’s footsteps.
"The whole state deserves what Marion County got last night,” Moser said.
The Peacemakers program received $4.5 million in the new budget. Officials say it will allow them to maintain the staff they currently have.
