Durham’s Community Safety Department (DCSD) operates one of the largest alternative response programs in the country, sending specially trained, unarmed professionals on a wide variety of 911 calls involving mental and behavioral health and quality of life concerns.
Since 2021, DCSD’s teams have responded to more than 28,000 calls to 911 with a consistently low rate of requests for back-up from other public safety departments and no major injuries to their responders. DCSD’s 911 responses are collectively known as the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams (HEART). The Department also manages a host of teams that connect residents to resources and long-term support with a goal of supporting sustained stabilization.
Erin Crafa, a member of the Durham crisis response team called HEART, responds to a heatwave-related call due to a power outage in Durham, where temperatures were expected to reach close to 100 degrees. Photo by Cornell Watson.
We asked leaders in Durham to share how they started their program:
Response Model: How did you choose the response team models that could be most impactful in your community?
Program Home: How did you decide where to house your program?
Staffing Model: How did you decide whether to staff your team with city employees or work with a contracted provider?
Team Structure: How did you approach hiring and developing an organizational structure?
Funding Sources: How did you fund your program for the long term?
This publication is the first in a series that spotlights Durham’s approach to creating and operating an alternative response program. Jurisdiction leaders can learn what Durham did, consider if a similar approach might work for them, or learn how to adapt these approaches to meet local needs.
Every city department has essential duties that must come first, making it tough for new programs to thrive within those existing structures. The city expects police to address crime, fire departments to fight fires, and for us to do something different. A new department just made sense.Anise Vance
Assistant Director, Durham Community Safety Department
Every city department has essential duties that must come first, making it tough for new programs to thrive within those existing structures. The city expects police to address crime, fire departments to fight fires, and for us to do something different. A new department just made sense.Anise Vance
