Cohort 2025
Austin Area Urban League
Visualizing Austin's Mental Health Crisis Response Program
Austin, TX
Austin's community members have long advocated for alternatives to traditional police-led crisis response, recognizing the need for mental health care rooted in compassion, equity, and safety. Building on years of organizing and partnership, Austin's Mental Health First Response Program was developed to redirect noncriminal 911 calls away from law enforcement and toward trained mental health professionals. Operated by Integral Care and supported through the Community Investment Budget, the program deploys teams of EMS personnel, mental health clinicians, and therapists to respond to mental health crises during designated hours.
In 2019, the city embedded Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team members in the 911 call center, allowing for real-time triage and faster, more appropriate care. This work represents a meaningful step toward building systems of care that prioritize community well-being.
With Catalyst grant funding, the Austin Area Urban League (AAUL), in collaboration with Equity Action and the Community Investment Budget coalition, is leading a data-driven evaluation of the Mental Health First Response Program. This project will analyze data on responses to calls for service from staffed and unstaffed hours to better understand how the program functions, where gaps exist, and what's needed to increase impact. The AAUL will develop a public, interactive dashboard that presents findings in an accessible, community-informed format. This tool will help residents, advocates, and policymakers explore key metrics in community solutions that do not require police involvement, and advocate for data-backed improvements, such as moving toward 24/7 coverage and expanding culturally responsive support services. Community members will be engaged throughout the project to guide the dashboard's development and ensure the final product reflects the values and lived experiences of those most affected.
