The High Point Police Department announced the launch of a new crisis response initiative aimed at addressing homelessness, substance use, and mental health issues. The Help, Outreach, Prevention, and Engagement (HOPE) team will consist of a licensed social worker and two crisis counselors.
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This team is designed to identify and connect individuals to emergency housing, food assistance, and addiction support, as noted by Chief of Police Curtis Cheeks. He emphasized that these situations often do not require law enforcement intervention. "They don’t need a person with a badge and a gun to solve that problem," Cheeks stated. "So we wanted to take some time and put in place something that was sustainable and that was a better approach for what we needed here in this community."
Counselors on the HOPE team will conduct behavioral health assessments while maintaining privacy through a HIPAA-compliant database, which separates their information from that of patrol officers. The primary goal of this initiative is to provide ongoing support for frequent 911 callers and to minimize the need for law enforcement interventions.
The team will operate in non-police vehicles and wear green uniforms for easy identification. They will collaborate with police officers as needed, but for some cases, the HOPE team may take the lead if it is safe to do so.