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It's not uncommon for a local police department to answer a call related to mental health. The Arlington Police Department (APD), for example, estimates it receives 1 in 10 calls with "some type of mental health component associated with it," and according to an email from media relations coordinator Tim Ciesco, "this is something that our officers are encountering quite frequently."
That's when Fort Worth nonprofit Alliance Child & Family Solutions (ACFS) steps in. The organization, which primarily focuses on providing counseling and other mental health services to Texans, runs a program called G.A.P.P. (The Greater Access & Partnership Program). G.A.P.P. began its partnership with the APD last October, offering what's known as "wraparound resources," which range from mental health counseling to assisting with housing, food, transportation, or "whatever they're needing so that they're not continuing to escalate to the point of being in crisis and requiring police intervention over and over," says Anastasia Taylor, founder and CEO of ACFS.
"If we were not in place, the only other option, depending on the nature of the call, is either inpatient hospitalizations or having to go to jail for some of the concerns," Taylor says. "Now that we're able to be present, we're able to hopefully reduce those repeat calls, provide options where individuals aren't having to wait to receive services or counseling because we're in contact with them within 24 hours, and able to help navigate a lot of the concerns."
An estimated 1 million adults (or 5 percent of the total Texas adult population) and 519,368 children and youth ages 17 years and younger have a mental health issue, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. And, according to a 2015 study by the Treatment Advocacy Center, individuals with untreated mental illnesses are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians approached or stopped by law enforcement.
In Arlington, a dedicated Mental Health Unit — made up of specially trained behavioral health response officers and professionals from My Health My Resources Tarrant County — assists police officers in responding to calls related to mental health. Individuals who receive help can then be directed to G.A.P.P. for additional assistance.
While G.A.P.P. is currently only in place in Arlington, ACFS is looking to bring the program to Fort Worth and hopes to begin conversations with the police department soon. Taylor says the program will also need funding, either from the city, county, police department, or private donors.
"If you're sick, you call a doctor; you don't call the police," Taylor says. "Individuals may not know where to call, and this is how we can help."
