Durham City Council leaders will meet Monday for the first time to discuss its upcoming budget and focus on where tax dollars should be spent.
Some Durham residents and organizations are rallying to push for city leaders to expand community safety with the H.E.A.R.T Program, which sends unarmed crisis responders out to some emergency calls.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The Durham Community Safety Department launched H.E.A.R.T (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams) in June 2022.
“I think it's been revolutionary, honestly,” said Shanise Renee, People’s Policy and Base-building Coordinator with Durham Beyond Policing. She also serves as a lead organizer for the Have a Heart Campaign.
“We just love the compassion, and just like the real care that folks receive when interacting with HEART, and the necessary care. I think it's absolutely revolutionary for us to have, especially in this time, Renee added.
Since launching nearly three years ago, more than 26,000 calls have been covered by these unarmed, trained specialists. The work helped avert thousands of crises and alleviated a strain on the police department.
“When things are not okay… when you're having a mental health episode… it's not the time to bring in folks who are going to make you feel even more terrified and scared. And we've been able to honestly, just focus on the compassion and the care that you actually receive in that moment from the HEART teams,” said Renee.
Several organizations and residents are coming together to push city leaders to expand the program from 12 hours to 24 hours and 7 days a week.
They also want the program to go beyond city limits to cover all of Durham County, and to serve Durham Public Schools.
“Any resources that we're able to give our kids to help them with their quality of life, reduce the risk of violence, prioritize de-escalation and techniques and all of that within the school system, that's needed, and it's necessary and it's needed right now,” Renee added.
That request will require a larger staff.
During the city’s budget cycle for 2023-2024, council invested nearly $2 million into the community safety department for that initial expansion.
The hope for many this year is to fully fund and cover the program to have more skilled mental health professionals, peer support specialists, and EMTs available at all times of the day throughout the city, county and public schools.
“I've actually gone on a ride along with them, and it's still one of the most touching experiences for me,” said Renee describing her experiences in the field with the team.
"It was just a different type of care that was given. That's what our community needs right now, and that's what our kiddos need in the school system, and that's what we need access to 24/7. “Our community should know there are still resources out here that are given by the city and the county that say ‘we care for you’ and we prioritize your care,” she added.
The Have a Heart Campaign is also asking the Community Safety Department to launch a 24-hour direct phone line, in addition to the access the team currently has through the city’s 911 call operators.
Supporters and community organizations plan to rally ahead of the city council’s public hearing Monday from 6-7 p.m.