Los Angeles Expands CIRCLE Program to Address Non-Violent 911 Calls
Los Angeles is broadening its approach to non-violent 911 calls involving homeless individuals by expanding the Crisis and Incident Response through the Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) program. Mayor Karen Bass announced on Monday that CIRCLE will now serve additional areas in West Los Angeles, including Manchester Square, Oakwood, Mar Vista, Palms, Playa Vista, Playa Del Rey, Westchester, and Dockweiler Beach.
Overview and Impact of CIRCLE Program
Launched in 2022, CIRCLE dispatches mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience of homelessness instead of armed police officers to handle specific non-violent situations. The program began in Hollywood and Venice before extending to downtown Los Angeles, Lincoln Heights, South Los Angeles, the Northeast Valley, and the Harbor Area.
CIRCLE’s team of 80 staff members operates on 24-hour shifts, responding to diverted 911 calls related to unhoused individuals. These calls typically involve issues such as loitering, well-being checks, noise disturbances, substance abuse problems, and indecent exposure.
In the past year alone, CIRCLE teams have been dispatched to over 14,000 calls, demonstrating the high demand for their specialized services. The teams have also helped over 1,600 people acquire essential documents like social security cards and IDs, connected more than 1,000 individuals with mental and behavioral health services, and successfully intervened in multiple opioid overdose situations.
“We are responding to the mental health crisis with solutions that are long-term and sustainable. At the same time, we are freeing up our LAPD officers to fight crime. Our work does not stop here. We will continue working on this important issue and continue to make our city safer,” Mayor Bass said during the news conference.
Mayor Bass emphasized the program’s role as a preventative measure, addressing community concerns about quality of life issues related to the unhoused population. “If you can address a person who is having a mental health crisis early, you can prevent that person and that crisis from deteriorating to the point where you have to have police because that individual has become violent, or that individual has hurt someone,” Bass stated.
The program’s impact is significant, with CIRCLE teams responding to over 14,000 calls in the past year. This high volume of responses underscores the demand for specialized services in addressing non-violent issues involving the homeless population.
CIRCLE’s mental health director, Latoya Stevenson, highlighted the importance of decompression centers in the program’s operations. These centers provide temporary respite for individuals experiencing homelessness, offering a break from the elements and an opportunity to meet with care coordinators and mental health workers.
Stevenson clarified that these centers are not open for public drop-offs or walk-ins. Instead, they are accessed exclusively through interactions with CIRCLE program staff. “It’s a place for respite for people experiencing homelessness to come back for a short period of time to meet with the care coordinator, to meet with the mental health worker, get a break from being out in the elements,” Stevenson explained.
Despite the program’s expansion, challenges remain. Stevenson noted that a decompression center has yet to be established in the newly served West Los Angeles area, potentially limiting the program’s effectiveness in these communities.
The CIRCLE program represents a shift in how the city addresses non-violent issues involving the homeless population. By utilizing mental health professionals and those with firsthand experience of homelessness, the program aims to provide more appropriate and effective assistance.
Stevenson emphasized the program’s approach: “When it comes to the individuals we work with, who are experiencing homelessness, it’s meeting them where they are, but also encouraging the utilization of those existing services.”
With this latest expansion, CIRCLE aims to provide targeted assistance to more areas of the city, potentially improving outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness and mental health crises.
