Multnomah County is our region's health and human services entity, which is why they've funded the successful Project Respond mental and behavioral health response unit run by Cascadia Behavioral Health for so many years now. They've got a dedicated 24/7 phone line and a great existing repertoire within emergency services and law enforcement circles. And they definitely need more funding to continue to expand the services they can provide.

The City shouldn't have tried to reinvent the wheel - Project Respond only calls in police help as necessary, same as Portland Street Response. Funding and staff for the PSR program should be moved over to the County to manage with the correct oversight and tools the City clearly does not have. The city is talking about cutting funding or even scrapping PSR altogether - let's put those resources somewhere useful!

https://www.multco.us/behavioral-health/mental-health-crisis-intervention