Police Embrace Social Workers To Help Field Rising Calls Tied To Homelessness, Mental Illness

By Rachel Crumpler

Chris Hatton oversees a 15-officer constabulary unit successful a mini occidental North Carolina municipality successful Jackson County — a spot wherever he says galore calls to 911 aren’t really constabulary matters astatine all. 

A “suspicious” personification loitering. Someone yelling successful nan street. A personification rummaging done a dumpster. Someone successful a intelligence wellness situation threatening self-harm. 

“So galore of our constabulary calls each azygous time are not crime-related,” said Hatton, main of nan Sylva Police Department since August 2019. He’s been successful rule enforcement for astir 30 years. “That’s not conscionable here, that’s everywhere. It’s societal issues.” 

Across nan authorities and nation, rule enforcement officers are stretched thinner and thinner responding to situations rooted successful homelessness, poverty, constituent usage and intelligence wellness challenges — problems they aren’t trained to reside and can’t apprehension their measurement retired of. 

Hatton said officers respond, stabilize personification arsenic champion arsenic they tin and past move connected — often only to brushwood nan aforesaid personification later because nan underlying problem remains untouched.

“Police officers really person 1 tool, and that’s jail,” Hatton said. “That’s portion of our system, but location are a batch of group that we interact pinch that do not request to spell to jail.”

Data shows that close to half of group successful jails person a intelligence illness, and nearly two-thirds person a constituent usage disorder.

Since October 2021, officers astatine nan Sylva Police Department person had different tool: a section societal worker who brings a different accomplishment group and tin respond pinch officers to situations erstwhile that’s what’s needed. The societal worker follows up afterward to link group to needed organization resources and services, pinch nan extremity of addressing nan guidelines issues driving nan constabulary calls. Since nan Community Care program launched successful business pinch Western Carolina University, Hatton says it has reshaped really his section functions and really nan organization is served. 

Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton sits pinch Galadriel LaVere, nan constabulary department’s societal worker. Credit: Courtesy of Chris Hatton

“Whether we for illustration it aliases not, societal issues are a constabulary issue,” Hatton said. “It’s not our job, but it’s cipher else’s occupation either. This is simply a spread — a spread that controls my full day. I’m going to get those calls. They’re going to hap each day, and if that’s going to beryllium 50 percent of our calls successful a day, I can’t disregard that. None of america can.”

That realization is starring much constabulary departments to research replacement consequence programs, including models for illustration nan Community Care program, which is tally by 2 Western Carolina University professors who had nan imagination to bring societal workers to rural, smaller agencies. Since starting successful Sylva, nan programme has now collaborated pinch 7 much constabulary departments crossed occidental North Carolina. 

The Sylva Police Department pictured successful October 2025. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

Adding a societal worker who tin walk clip pinch organization members and thief reside guidelines causes down predominant constabulary calls has been a “game-changer,” Hatton said.

Hatton now considers nan position essential; he said he wouldn’t do constabulary activity without a societal worker again.

“It gives nan constabulary that prevention portion we’ve ne'er had,” Hatton said. “My profession has been dense connected nan enforcement broadside of rule enforcement, but this is nan coolest point I’ve done successful my career, and this is besides nan astir impactful. It works.”

Embedding societal workers

Social workers moving alongside constabulary officers isn’t a caller idea, but liking successful these partnerships grew aft nan sidesplitting of George Floyd by a Minneapolis constabulary serviceman successful 2020 and nan consequent wide calls for constabulary reform.

As agencies nationwide reconsidered their approach, professors Cyndy Caravelis from nan Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Katy Allen from nan Department of Social Work astatine Western Carolina University began reasoning specifically astir what could activity successful small, agrarian departments pinch constricted resources. 

Caravelis said astir of nan established constabulary societal worker programs operated successful ample municipality cities, but galore constabulary departments successful North Carolina are successful agrarian areas. They needed thing different.

Their idea: embed graduate-level societal activity interns successful agrarian constabulary departments. The exemplary would let students to gain their required section hours, and officers would summation a caller instrumentality astatine nary first cost. The societal workers would walk clip delving into nan issues that thrust constabulary encounters and connecting group to resources and support that mightiness forestall nan adjacent 911 telephone — activity officers seldom person clip for.

“One point that we consciousness really powerfully astir is we are not successful nan business of replacing officers pinch societal workers,” Caravelis said. “This is simply a instrumentality we’re adding to rule enforcement.”

Caravelis said that crime is often a denotation of unmet needs. “There is thing going connected beneath nan surface, and if we tin benignant of thief pinch what that point is, past nan crime goes away.”

When Caravelis and Allen approached Hatton pinch their idea, he welcomed nan caller approach. He was already watching societal needs devour his officers’ clip and seeing gaps arsenic group conscionable cycled done nan system.

Hatton initially envisioned utilizing a societal worker chiefly for follow-up connections to resources aft a constabulary encounter. But his reasoning changed erstwhile he saw his caller societal worker successful action, responding pinch constabulary officers. He witnessed nan societal worker’s measurement of engaging pinch group successful situation to amended outcomes.

Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton, constabulary societal worker Galadriel LaVere and Western Carolina University professor Cyndy Caravelis astatine an grant banquet successful 2023 recognizing nan Sylva Police Department arsenic nan rule enforcement agency of nan twelvemonth for its innovative Community Care program. Credit: Courtesy of Chris Hatton

“It perfectly increases ratio because we walk hours and hours pinch immoderate of these folks, and I’ve seen Galadriel do her magic — that’s what we telephone it — and adjacent point you know, we’re not dealing pinch personification astatine each anymore,” Hatton said.

For this “innovative attack to replacement responder protocols,” nan Sylva Police Department was named nan 2023 North Carolina Law Enforcement Agency of nan Year by nan North Carolina Police Executives Association.

The exemplary has since spread. Hendersonville Police Chief Blair Myhand has embedded a societal worker successful his section of 47 sworn officers done nan Community Care program. An expanding number of analyzable encounters, particularly intelligence wellness crises, pushed Myhand, a seasoned successful rule enforcement who’s spent 32 years connected nan hit and has served arsenic main since February 2021, to activity retired caller devices for his officers. 

He said nan tipping constituent came aft a section homicide reappraisal showed that a female changeable astatine a McDonald’s by a edifice worker successful October 2023 had aggregate interactions pinch Hendersonville constabulary officers successful nan days earlier her decease — encounters marked by erratic behaviour later linked to schizophrenia.

“People would call, we would interact and we person very constricted devices disposable to america arsenic a constabulary department,” Myhand said. “Of course, nary 1 foresaw that she would beryllium changeable and killed, but I quickly realized that we conscionable didn’t person nan devices that we needed to beryllium capable to efficaciously thief her out.”

After starting pinch a part-time societal activity intern from Western Carolina University successful August 2024, nan section hired its first full-time societal worker past month.

“[Police officers are] nan first ones to respond because we’re ever retired and about, but we’re not ever nan correct instrumentality for nan job,” Myhand said. “Sometimes we tin beryllium benignant of a quadrate peg into a information hole.”

A societal worker, he said, brings a different accomplishment group — knowledge of resources, relationships pinch providers and a different measurement to link pinch group successful crisis.

“If we don’t commencement employing immoderate different tactics, nothing’s going to change. We’re going to proceed to do nan aforesaid point complete and complete again,” Myhand said. “And I deliberation that’s by meaning what insanity is. That’s not really we’re going to make our organization safer.”

A different approach

A caller telephone successful Hendersonville illustrates nan quality a societal worker tin make. Officers responded to a petition for a use cheque aft a female sent her neighbour alarming matter messages astir wanting to extremity her life. The officers tried to talk pinch her, but she wouldn’t engage. At a nonaccomplishment for what other to do, an serviceman called nan caller constabulary societal worker Cammy Holt to travel to nan scene.

Cammy Holt became Hendersonville Police Department’s first full-time societal worker successful October 2025. She started successful August arsenic an intern done Western Carolina University’s Community Care program. Credit: Courtesy of Hendersonville Police Department

Holt said erstwhile she arrived, she was met pinch nan aforesaid first reluctance from nan woman, who was suicidal and conscionable kept uttering, “You can’t thief me.” 

Eventually, arsenic Holt kept talking, nan female shared nan existent issues weighing connected her: She had a traumatic encephalon injury, hadn’t eaten successful days and felt overwhelmed by a conflict pinch a family member. Holt de-escalated nan situation, provided her pinch nutrient and contiguous support, and successful nan pursuing days shared further longer-term resources, specified arsenic a meal-delivery program, in-home attraction and nan names of therapists specializing successful traumatic encephalon injuries.

The business stabilized without an involuntary commitment, apprehension aliases repeated constabulary calls.

Similar activity happens regular successful Sylva, wherever Galadriel LaVere serves arsenic nan constabulary department’s full-time societal worker, a domiciled she initially took connected arsenic an intern starting successful nan summertime of 2022. She responds erstwhile officers petition her assistance and spends nan remainder of her clip search down resources, troubleshooting crises and pursuing up pinch group wherever they are — moreover if it’s nether a span aliases connected a curb.  

Sylva Police Department societal worker Galadriel LaVere responds to a business alongside constabulary officers. Credit: Courtesy of Chris Hatton

Many of nan group LaVere useful pinch look overlapping challenges: intelligence illness, constituent usage and homelessness. Connections to resources aren’t needfully easy successful Jackson County either. There isn’t a bum shelter, intelligence wellness installation aliases home unit shelter. But LaVere has spent clip building a patchwork of partnerships truthful she tin constituent group to due support.

In 2024, Sylva’s Community Care programme received 105 referrals — astir half involving homelessness. Referrals mean astir 10 a period — coming from officers, organization members and moreover group requesting assistance for themselves. There is nary general eligibility request to person thief from a Community Care societal worker; it’s arsenic elemental arsenic personification saying they request assistance.

Sylva Police Department’s societal worker helps reside a scope of needs among nan clients she serves. Frequently, clients look overlapping challenges related to homelessness, constituent usage and intelligence illness. Credit: Community Care programme PAARI position slide

Some group request 1 aliases 2 connections. Others request a batch more, compelling LaVere to activity for months to thief them execute stableness and get their needs addressed. For example, 1 man pinch intelligence disabilities, intelligence wellness challenges and aesculapian issues became homeless. He started sleeping extracurricular nan constabulary station; he told officers that’s wherever he felt safest. LaVere has met pinch him regularly and helped him get recognition documents, lodging and different support.

“When group cognize personification cares, and to beryllium honest, this translates a batch of times to not conscionable maine caring, but like, ‘Oh, nan constabulary section really cares what happens to me. They’re not conscionable wanting to hide astir maine aliases fastener maine up,’” LaVere said. “I deliberation erstwhile group spot that move astatine work, past they are much apt to want to do bully too.”

Officers announcement nan impact. People who erstwhile generated repeated 911 calls often extremity appearing connected their radar aft moving pinch LaVere. That simplification grew buy-in connected nan programme quickly. Officers who were erstwhile skeptical are now immoderate of nan quickest to petition her beingness astatine a segment aliases make a referral. 

On days LaVere isn’t working, Hatton said, officers consciousness her absence.

Sylva is simply a municipality successful occidental North Carolina pinch a organization of astir 2,800 people. Community members, specified arsenic Paige Christie — executive head of The Community Table successful Sylva — are besides noticing nan effect of a constabulary societal worker. “Having Galadriel and nan Community Care programme has meant that we person nonstop entree to personification who’s trained and knows resources,” Christie told NC Health News. “She’s truthful awesome pinch nan folks we serve. She’ll meet group here. She’ll thief them do paperwork. She gives group rides. People consciousness safe and comfortable pinch her. And we’ve seen group really move guardant successful their lives.” Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

The Hendersonville Police Department is earlier successful its rollout, but Chief Myhand said Holt, nan department’s societal worker, is already filling a captious gap.

“My occupation is to beryllium a sponge of resources, truthful that erstwhile I travel crossed clients, I cognize wherever to nonstop them aliases to return them to get them nan support that they need,” Holt said. “If I tin thief that personification and it’s successful, chances are nan constabulary officers mightiness not ever get a telephone connected them again.” 

One caller lawsuit progressive a man, bum and struggling pinch a meth addiction who had aggregate erstwhile constabulary encounters, stepping into nan constabulary section lobby seeking help. He said he was fresh to spell to rehab, and Holt spent hours pinch him moving retired nan logistics. 

By nan extremity of nan day, Holt said, “He was like, ‘I americium truthful thankful I met you. I’m gladsome we did this.’”

Overall, Caravelis said nan Community Care programme has astir a 70 percent occurrence complaint of group agreeing to person assistance aft interaction pinch nan societal worker. She noted that societal workers are not a “magic slug solution” but an important span betwixt “folks that travel to nan attraction of rule enforcement and nan agencies that already beryllium to support them.”

‘Why weren’t we doing this each along?’

As much constabulary departments look into replacement consequence programs for illustration embedded societal workers, Caravelis said it’s important to summation constabulary section and section authorities buy-in for successful implementation.

A July 2023 report by nan UNC Criminal Justice Innovation Lab successful business pinch nan North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police conducted a study of constabulary departments to measure nan scope of replacement responder programs successful North Carolina. 

Sixty-eight percent of nan state’s departments — 142 of 208 — responded. Of that group, 83 percent reported having astatine slightest 1 replacement responder programme either housed successful nan section aliases astatine a organization statement — pinch much programs nether consideration.

A floor plan showing nan type and number of existent and considered replacement responder programs astatine North Carolina constabulary departments based connected study administered successful June 2022. According to nan responses, mobile situation programs were nan astir communal and intelligence wellness co-responder programs were of top liking to departments. Credit: The Alternative Responder Project, July 2023 study / UNC Criminal Justice Innovation Lab

The study notes increasing liking successful these programs “to amended beforehand nationalist safety, much efficaciously link group pinch needed services and trim reliance connected nan justness strategy to reside societal issues for illustration homelessness and intelligence wellness and constituent usage crises.”

In Caravelis’ experience, embedding societal workers has garnered bipartisan support.

“Folks who are connected nan much wide broadside want to make judge that we’re helping susceptible group successful communities, and this programme does that,” Caravelis said. “And folks connected nan much blimpish broadside want to make judge that we’re helping support rule enforcement, and this programme does that.”

Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton, constabulary societal worker Galadriel LaVere and Western Carolina University professor Cyndy Caravelis — cofounder of nan Community Care programme — person shared their exemplary for embedding societal workers successful constabulary departments pinch a wide scope of audiences, drafting statewide and nationalist attention. Credit: Courtesy of Chris Hatton

The Community Care programme is simply a exemplary that’s attracting statewide — and moreover nationalist — attraction from agencies who admit nan request to run differently. Last month, Caravelis and Hatton presented nan exemplary successful Colorado astatine nan International Association of Chiefs of Police yearly conference, nan largest gathering of rule enforcement successful nan world. They besides regularly section calls from departments wanting to study more.

For Hatton and Myhand, societal workers complement alternatively than switch constabulary — and it tin beryllium a much cost-effective solution than group cycling done costly institutions specified arsenic jails, prisons and infirmary emergency rooms.

“A batch of times you look backmost and you go, ‘Why weren’t we doing this each along?’ This makes truthful overmuch bully sense,” Myhand said. “It’s doing specified awesome activity helping group and allowing officers to get backmost to their different duties. This is for illustration 1 of those no-brainer type of positions that we should person been doing for a agelong time.”

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