Mayor: Elm City COMPASS Crisis Response Team Hours, Staff Expanded

NEW HAVEN, CT — City officials announced the expansion of service hours and personnel for New Haven’s emergency crisis response team Wednesday.

Mayor Justin Elicker, members of the Elm City COMPASS crisis response team and other city officials shared updates in a news briefing.

Elm City COMPASS, which stands for “Compassionate Allies Serving Our Streets,” complements and supports the work of police, fire, and EMS personnel by responding to 9-1-1 calls and engaging in direct outreach with a trauma-informed approach to assist residents experiencing mental health, substance use, and housing crises.

Elm City COMPASS teams are not armed and include a licensed social worker and a peer recovery support specialist who provide on-site crisis intervention and counseling, administer harm reduction services, and connect and refer individuals to appropriate treatment, resources, and social services.

Elm City COMPASS was launched in November 2022 with one team deployed daily between the hours 10 am to 6 pm.

Now, as it prepares to enter its third year of operation, Elm City COMPASS teams will be deployed daily from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. —19 hours per day —with two teams deployed during peak evening service hours. In addition, teams will now also be deployed directly to sites by New Haven’s 9-1-1 emergency operations center – unaccompanied by police and fire personnel.

To date, Elm City COMPASS has completed over 1,600 responses to individuals in crisis.