Kansas City Council is in the throws of putting together a budget for the upcoming year and is considering funding a new program — called REACH — to reduce incarceration and connect people with non-emergency services.
The City Council is expected to vote on the ordinance that forms REACH, which stands for ‘Responding with Empathetic Alternatives and Community Health,’by the end of the month. The program comes from the recommendations of the city’s Alternatives to Incarceration Commission and would allow people to call 3-1-1, instead of 9-1-1, for issues involving mental health, substance use, houselessness, or other quality of life issues.
“I know what it’s like to be in a dark place with no hope and without support,” says Nadra Barnes of the advocacy group Decarcerate KC. “If I had a positive presence and a helpful place to turn, my outcome would have been different. Instead, I was incarcerated.”
How REACH Works
As an example, if a person is found sleeping in front of a business, the owner could call 3-1-1 instead of calling for a police response. REACH teams would then connect the person to resources like housing, mental health, and social services.
“We talk all the time about how there isn’t just one solution to how we build a safer and healthier city for all, and I agree with that,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas, one of the ordinance’s sponsors.
If passed, REACH will be run and staffed by the KCMO Health Dept., and the legislation proposes $1.26 million from the budget for a staff of twelve and and an additional $500,000 for housing services.
“That is a lot cheaper than a $317 million budget for enforcement or a $200 million jail,” said Lucas.
The idea for the program was pushed by advocacy groups like Decarcerate KC and is modeled after similar successful programs in Atlanta, Denver, and Tallahassee. Lucas pointed out that Tallahassee diverted more than 1000 offenders in its first three years of a similar program, and just 6% of those 1000 were arrested after being connected with resources.
“For far too long in Kansas City, we have focused our resources toward systems of punishment and have failed to fund systems of care that build up our communities,” said Councilman Johnathan Duncan at the legislation introduction. “We have overburdened our courts, our jails, our first responders by forcing them to address issues they are not equipped to handle: folks who need mental health treatment, food, and a place to stay at night.”
REACH Program Components:
- Community Response: Trained community responders would address crisis situations, providing immediate assistance and support.
- Short-Term Care Navigation: Individuals in need would be connected with essential services, including food, shelter, and transportation.
- Long-Term Care Navigation: A dedicated Care Navigator would assist individuals in
- accessing sustained support services, such as mental health treatment and permanent housing options.
According to Lucas and Duncan, REACH will leverage existing city resources, better coordinate with the city’s service providers, and lower the burden on courts, police, and police dispatchers.
Plans are for the program to roll out in phases. REACH efforts will initially be focused on the downtown area, the Prospect corridor, and hotspots of need identified by the KC Transit Authority.
The ordinance tells City Manager Brian Platt to report back with a plan for a REACH Center — that would house multiple services under one roof — within 180 days of passage. The ordinance language also clarifies that REACH is not a policing entity and will not interfere with KCPD.
