Confronting the Mental Health Crisis: Mayor Bass Announces CIRCLE Program Expansion to Westside Communities

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today announced that CIRCLE expanded to more neighborhoods on the Westside which will make Los Angeles safer, help to directly confront the mental health crisis and enable officers to focus on fighting crime. CIRCLE is a proven program that helps free-up LAPD officers by sending non-violent 911 mental health calls to mental health workers and individuals with lived experience to provide help and assistance for unhoused individuals experiencing crisis. View b-roll of the launch here.

"We are responding to the mental health crisis with solutions that are long-term and sustainable," said Mayor Karen Bass."At the same time, we are freeing up our LAPD officers to fight crime. Our work does not stop here. We will continue working on this important issue and continue to make our city safer. I want to thank Councilwoman Yaroslavsky, Councilwoman Park for their partnership, as well as Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Ted Lieu for securing funding to help make this expansion possible."

"I'm pleased to join Mayor Bass and members of the Los Angeles City Council today in celebrating the expansion of the CIRCLE program into West Los Angeles," said Congressman Lieu."Since its inception, CIRCLE has strengthened public safety response across Los Angeles County by providing intervention and care services for non-violent individuals in crisis. I was honored to secure $1.5 million for this critical program expansion through the federal appropriations process in 2022. I look forward to continued work with Mayor Bass and other local and state partners to keep our communities safe and work towards our goal of ensuring all our neighbors have access to care and resources they need."

The Westside has been deeply affected by the homelessness crisis, and we need decisive action," said Councilwoman Park. "Expanding CIRCLE's services throughout the Pacific Division is crucial, but we must continue to invest heavily in the infrastructure and training needed to make this initiative successful. I'm grateful for Congressman Lieu and Mayor Bass's unwavering leadership and commitment, which have been essential for driving this critical work forward."

"The expansion of the CIRCLE program to additional neighborhoods on the Westside is a crucial step in our effort to provide effective, compassionate crisis response," said Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky. "By deploying mental health professionals to handle non-violent incidents, we not only offer immediate support to our unhoused neighbors but also allow our police officers to focus on fighting crime. This tailored approach enhances safety and builds lasting trust in our communities."

In the last fiscal year, more than 14,000 incidents were diverted to CIRCLE, and CIRCLE teams placed hundreds of individuals into interim housing, reconnected individuals back to their families, obtained permanent supportive housing placements, assisted more than 1,600 individuals in obtaining vital documents such as social security cards and IDs, referred more than 1,000 individuals to mental and behavioral health services, and reversed opioid-related overdoses.

Mayor Bass continues to take urgent action to keep Angelenos safe through a comprehensive public safety strategy. Last week, Mayor Bass went to Encino with LAPD officersto speak with families about the urgent action being taken in neighborhoods that have been affected by recent burglaries. She also spoke to hundreds of Angelenos at two community Valley meetings regarding this issue and will be speaking with Brentwood residents tonight. Mayor Bass believes that when crime happens, it must be responded to urgently and those responsible must be held accountable.

Also last week, Mayor Bass announced hundreds of street safety provisions near schools including deploying more than 500 crossing guards, continuing the widest deployment in over a decade, to keep children safe as they go to and from school. Over the summer, the City activated 44 sites through Summer Night Lights' increased youth and family programming which drew more than 100,000 attendees to help reduce violence.

What is CIRCLE?

CIRCLE is a 24/7 proven unarmed response program that deploys a team of mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience to address non-violent LAPD calls related to unhoused individuals experiencing crisis. Through this public health approach, the City is able to improve community safety and outcomes for Angelenos experiencing mental health crises and in need of other services and support. The program also operates in Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Venice, the Harbor Areaand the San Fernando Valley.

Where did CIRCLE expand to?

Over the weekend, CIRCLE expanded to include Oakwood, Mar Vista, Palms, Playa Vista, Playa Del Rey, Westchester, Manchester Square and Dockweiler Beach.

How does CIRCLE help LAPD officers focus on fighting crime?

CIRCLE helps divert non-violent 911 calls from the LAPD to unarmed, mental health workers and individuals with lived experience to provide help and assistance for unhoused individuals experiencing crisis. The program provides services to help respond to calls involving unhoused individuals, including loitering, well-being checks, noise disturbances, substance abuse issues, and indecent exposure. This approach offers a sustained solution to safety.

How can the public contact CIRCLE?

The public can access CIRCLE through the non-emergency line at 1-877-275-5273 or 877-ASK- LAPD. Select the "non-emergency dispatch" option.

How does the Mayor's Office foster community safety?

The Mayor's CIRCLE program operates within the Mayor's Office of Community Safety. After Mayor Bass was elected, she created the Mayor's Office of Community Safetyto prevent crime and violence through community-based strategies that impact the social and economic conditions that drive community harm. The Office supports non-punitive safety strategies, including civilian first responders, violence interruption, re-entry services, youth diversion programs, and capacity-building programs for non-profit organizations that address community safety. Through these measures, the Office works in partnership with the community to positively impact the lives of the people we serve to keep communities safe.

The Mayor's Office of Community Safety also activates the Summer Night Lights program, which works to help keep children and young people safe during the summer months by deploying resources to some school-adjacent recreation facilities. Summer Night Lightsincreases youth and family programming in our public spaces in order to help reduce violence and served more than 100,000 attendees at 44 sites over a series of evenings. The program is a key component of the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Comprehensive Strategy.

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