Office of Community Health and Safety

Office of Community Health and Safety

Mission

The City of Pittsburgh created the Office of Community Health and Safety to connect our most vulnerable neighbors with the right services to make our city safer and more just. Our mission is to serve marginalized communities that have been systematically isolated from society and victimized by an unjust system. Through the tireless work of our frontline workers, public safety liaisons, and subject matter experts we aim to address the needs of those living in poverty, experiencing homelessness or housing instability, substance use disorder, and mental or behavioral health challenges. The programs below comprise the Office’s efforts:

Departmental/Bureau Overview

Administration: The administrative team in the Office of Community Health & Safety by ensuring that the Office is fiscally and administratively positioned to carry out its functions. This entails building and implementing sustainable funding models, matching areas of identified need in the community and amongst clients with fiscal capacity and developing processes that enable the direct service work to function. Co-Response: The Co-Response program is developed to provide the “right responders” to individuals who are experiencing a mental health or behavioral crisis. Teams consist of a Community Social Worker and dedicated officer who are dispatched to co-respond to individuals in crisis. Through trust-building and the provision of services, Co-Response seeks to reduce the propensity for individuals who experience mental and behavioral health crises to engage in violent behavior and become involved in the criminal justice system. Through the reduction in use of force, the program also aims to increase both the officer and community member’s safety. Integrated Response: Consists of both the People In Need of Support (PINS) Program and Crisis Response Teams. PINS developed as a partnership between the three Public Safety Bureaus and the Office of Community Health & Safety. First responders identify and refer City residents who frequently utilize 9-1-1 services to meet their basic needs, as well as individuals who may be vulnerable to harm and need follow up. Community Social Workers and Public Safety liaisons conduct home visits to assess the health and social needs of these residents and develop a plan to link the residents to services and resources (including CIT and FBI cases). High utilizers also known as "frequent flyers" who disproportionately utilize 9-1-1 services place strain upon the emergency response system. By connecting these individuals to long-term services and supports, we relieve pressure on the systems in place to assist people who experience crises. Nationally, these programs are known to provide systems-level cost-savings. The Response Teams support in de-escalation of high-acuity situations with complex biopsychosocial factors and address follow-up care using clinical expertise. Community Resilience:  The Community Resilience program is a community-focused program that strives to promote shared ownership, ensure solutions are culturally responsive, and community driven. It seeks to proactively address the root cause of inequities and engage with residents and leaders to identify challenges, build trust, and utilize community needs assessments to co-create strategies that promote safety and inclusion. Critical to meeting these goals are partnerships with registered community organizations, service providers, and other community resources. In addition to proactive outreach efforts, the program also prioritizes responsiveness to community needs such as those that relate to trauma, providing crucial immediate support and connection to higher levels of care to residents after traumatic events occur to begin the process of healing. Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program: Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is an effective, replicable, and equitable diversion method that provides individuals with intense case management. It is a client- based approach that provides people with substance use disorder and mental and behavioral health challenges, experiencing homelessness and poverty with person-centered social services and intense case management focused on harm reduction and compassion in lieu of criminalization. The goal of LEAD is to break with traditional methods rooted in coercion and punishment to address the needs of individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental and behavioral health challenges. LEAD combats racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal-legal system that have been perpetuated by harmful systems, stigmatization and lack of access to services. The initiative ignites a pathway towards criminal justice reform specifically to end harmful policing and criminalization of minorities and vulnerable populations. 188

Reaching Out On the Streets: The Reaching Out on the Streets (ROOTS) Program aims to reduce the prevalence of homelessness by addressing the social determinants of health, opening opportunities for personal agency, and intervening in critical moments of crisis to reduce criminal legal interactions, increase access to services, and reduce fatal overdoses. ROOTS will incorporate two components at full implementation: street outreach and drop-in sites. The staffing plan and organization align to support these programs. Interdisciplinary Zone Teams will meet the needs of individuals within the hyper-local scope of available services. Interdisciplinary Zone Teams include members from street outreach, sites, and diversion programs that coordinate participant care and are adaptable to complex needs; such as, human services, drug and alcohol treatment, housing, healthcare, behavioral health, and criminal legal navigation. Post Overdose Support Team: The Post Overdose Support Team (POST) responds to overdoses with teams of certified peer recovery specialists (CPRSs) and case managers to reach individuals at the time of interception with public safety personnel. The response aims to enable the POST team to foster a connection that places the individual in a deescalated state following the overdose, allowing us to begin the work of providing service connections that can lead to long-term recovery. Many people who have overdosed refuse transport to the hospital by EMS. Trust-building that follows de-escalation after refusal is an integral initial step in order to facilitate the willingness of the individual to continue to engage POST staff after EMS has departed. This ensures that the provision of service connections and system navigation may continue. The responding team and follow-up case management staff identifies its primary goals to support safety, recovery, and to provide service connections that aim to treat substance use and/or co-occurring mental health disorders.

2026 Accomplishments

• Since inception in 2021, OCHS has documented the provision of services to 6,283 unique residents across 43,649 encounters. The most frequent types of services provided are in the areas of mental health services, housing assistance, and high utilization of 9-1-1.
• Exemplifying the work of the broader ROOTS program, one ROOTS staff member helped: 83 people gain access to temporary shelter, 39 individuals obtain housing using the Allegheny Link, 29 individuals obtain housing outside of Allegheny Link, and several individuals get connected to services that pay for first month rent/security deposit. 55 individuals are currently part of this staff member’s case load and who are working toward their housing goals. This daily work made it possible for OCHS to successfully apply to County funding in the amount exceed $800k per year to expand ROOTS homeless outreach services to the evening and weekends.
• The People In Need of Support (PINS Program) assisted a community member getting connected for the first time with ongoing medical services, in-home care through a waiver program, medication and food delivery, and cleaning services to meeting their goal of remaining in their long-term home. The client at the time of introduction did not have any working utilities, all utilities in client's home are on and working, and the client decreased 911 calls from regularly calling 8-10 times per month, to one call in the past three months. PINS has had over a thousand encounters this year, and this exemplifies the work they do for community members.
• The Post Overdose Support Team (POST) successfully built relationships and partnerships with UPMC Magee and UPMC Mercy, which now enables POST to receive referrals directly and coordinate discharge planning. This partnership ensures residents have the support they need during critical moments when they transition through stages of care.
• The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program continues to be an active participant with the National LEAD Support Bureau which recognizes City of Pittsburgh LEAD program as one of their highest fidelity model sites in the nation, demonstrating the rigor of services provided to Pittsburgh residents.

The Office of Community Health and Safety positions have moved from the Stop the Violence Trust Fund for 2027.

56 - SUPPLIES

55 - OTHER SERVICES

53 - PROF. & TECHNICAL SERVICES

52 - PERSONNEL-EMPLOYEE BENEFITS