Portland, Oregon (KATU) – Portland Street Response (PSR) expands services for individuals experiencing a mental and behavioral health crisis.
The new policy came into effect on March 6th.
City programs that dispatch unarmed response teams in non-life-threatening situations can now transport at-risk individuals to critical services and resources, enter certain public places and work with emergency police officers and firefighters.
Mayor Wilson highlighted the program’s success since its launch in 2021, saying, “The Portland Street response is a success story and expanding its capabilities has been a campaign promise. These new policies will help our dedicated PSR teams support at-risk individuals with services, including life-saving shelters, recovery services, day centers and more.”
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The updated policy allows PSR responders to connect clients to the service by shutting them to a variety of facilities, including temporary alternative shelter sites, addiction treatment centres, and food pantry. PSR teams can also respond in public places, such as building government lobbies or building private businesses during normal business hours.
April ROA, Interim Program Manager of PSR, expressed his appreciation for the community’s support and said, “We are humbled by our first response partners addressing the overwhelming support of our community and PSR needs. These policies have improved our systems and experience a non-life threatening environment for PSR access and streamlined care to our clients.”
The program will also be further integrated into the initial responder system, allowing for co-response with other emergency services if necessary.
PSR hopes that expansions can respond to more call types in PSR and improve the ability to improve outcomes for people in crisis.
