Denver is overhauling the way the city handles mental‑health and drug‑use emergencies to make the system easier for residents and faster for people in crisis. The new approach consolidates multiple hotlines into one number and assigns calls to the appropriate responders—whether police, STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) outreach workers, housing case managers or other specialists.
Why the change matters
City officials say the current maze of options often leaves callers confused and forces them to dial several departments before getting help. “We don’t want residents to have to take that burden on,” said Erin Atencio, head of Roads to Recovery, the mayor’s program that links people experiencing homelessness and behavioral‑health crises to treatment. “The city should be the one to coordinate. All you have to do is call a number and we’ll handle the rest.”
How the new system works
When a call comes in, trained behavioral‑health experts will assess the situation and dispatch the right resources. For dangerous encounters, police officers and mental‑health co‑responders may be sent. In less acute cases, the call may be routed to a STAR outreach worker or a housing case manager who can connect the individual to shelter, counseling or other services.
The call‑center is funded by Caring for Denver, a sales‑tax‑backed nonprofit focused on mental health, at a cost of $785,000 over three years. The city says the reorganization uses existing staff and will not increase the budget.
STAR program changes
In September, Denver began employing STAR co‑responders directly rather than through a nonprofit partner, giving the city more control over training and deployment. The integration of STAR with the new call‑center is expected to improve response times and ensure that the appropriate expertise is applied to each situation.
Linking 311 and 911
Mayor Mike Johnston highlighted the potential to merge the 311 non‑emergency line with 911 emergency services. “Some people see someone in need and call 311, some call 911. We’ve now made it possible to bridge those responses,” he said at a city‑council budget hearing. “You can call any number, and we’ll decide who the right person at the right time and place is.”
Coordinated daily effort
Atencio participates in a daily conference call with more than ten city agencies—including Denver Police, Parks and Recreation, the Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Department of Housing Stability—to discuss specific individuals’ acute needs and arrange same‑day services. This collaborative model reflects the mayor’s broader effort to treat homelessness and behavioral‑health crises as a public‑health emergency rather than a purely law‑enforcement issue.
What residents should know
The city asks the public to trust the new process and use the single number for any crisis involving mental health, substance use or homelessness. “It’s like a doctor’s office: you describe the problem, and the doctors and nurses in the back triage and figure out the best care,” Atencio explained. “The goal is a calm, capable response that gets people the help they need quickly.”
By consolidating resources and clarifying the call‑routing process, Denver hopes to reduce confusion, improve safety for both citizens and first responders, and provide more humane, timely assistance to those struggling with mental‑health challenges.
Original reporting: Denverite — read the source article.
