Sponsor: Social Services
Title
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Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Saint Paul for the American Rescue Plan Act Innovation in Community and Safety Grant
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the Joint Powers Agreement with the city of Saint Paul from July 22, 2022, through April 30, 2023.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to approve and execute the Joint Powers Agreement
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Background and Rationale
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The Saint Paul Police Department approached Ramsey County to continue their partnership with the Community Outreach and Stabilization Team (COAST). The primary goal of COAST is to improve the quality of life and reduce unnecessary use of the emergency health care system by connecting people in crisis with the care they need, helping to significantly reduce mental-health-crisis-related arrests and repeat calls for service.
The team takes a proactive approach and is committed to assisting residents in crisis while helping individuals and their families navigate the healthcare system. Saint Paul Police Department initially approached Ramsey County in 2019 to embed two Social Workers within their unit.
The embedded social workers provide services including crisis assessments, follow-up with police reports of individuals in crisis; short term case management to help with stabilization for residents who are identified as high utilizers of emergency services and assisting residents who need mental health support but struggle to engage by connecting them with less restrictive community-based services. The goals of the embedded Social Worker partnership include reducing the amount of public safety resources needed to mitigate mental health and crisis-related incidents and to reduce the use of force and the number of adverse events.
Saint Paul Police Department was awarded $97,200 in federal funding for the American Rescue Plan Act Innovation in Community and Safety (ARPAIC) grant which will be used toward investments to address the public health and mental health impacts of COVID-19 by permitting a co-responder team to connect with individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness who are disconnected from medical and social services.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
African Americans, Indigenous, and other people of color are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Improving police responses to people with mental illness and creating opportunities for community-based treatment, including culturally specific options, will reduce the number of people of color who are incarcerated when mental health treatment would be the appropriate response. The Ramsey County Crisis and Stabilization Units are committed to supporting the mental health wellness of residents through services and referrals for longer-term care.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The co-responder model was created in response to the community's request for increased mental health services and reduced negative consequences; specifically, fewer arrests during crises and 2 fewer 911 calls for mental health-related interventions. The project will enable a Ramsey County mental health professional/practitioner in collaboration with the Saint Paul Police Department, to engage residents. Specific community participation activities will include educating the community about the co-responder model through targeted community engagement activities, conducting focused conversations and listening sessions with community members most impacted by the co-responder model, and developing recommendations for shaping community-defined mental health services and indicators of wellbeing. The Co-Responder Program hopes to increase community’s level of trust of police and county systems and a sense of wellness in the community.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Funding for both embedded Social Workers are included this in the Joint Powers and the previous Amended agreement. No levy funds support this project.
Last Previous Action
On August 20, 2019, the Ramsey County Board authorized acceptance of a grant from the city of Saint Paul and approved the addition of two mental health professionals or practitioners to the Social Services personnel complement to co-respond with Saint Paul police officers on calls involving individuals with mental illness. (Resolution B2019-199)
Attachments
1. Joint Powers Agreement with the City of Saint Paul