Community leaders joined together this week to discuss the results of CALL—Community Assistance and Life Liaison Program. Some of the leaders in attendance included St. Petersburg Police Chief Holloway, Dr. Sandra Braham, and Dr. Edelyn Verona. The evaluation focused on successes, challenges and future opportunities for forward movement in the program.
CALL—Community Assistance and Life Liaison Program
In January 2021, City Council approved the launch of the Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program pilot. CALL is meant to improve response to mental illness, poverty, and addiction; providing assistance while reducing criminalization and stigma.
Many of the calls the Police Department responds to during a normal day are better addressed by a human services professional. Through CALL, emergency dispatchers will send social workers to certain calls for service, including mental health crisis, suicide intervention, truancy, homeless complaints, and neighborhood disputes.
Evaluating the program
Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg helps fund the program. And USF Center for Justice Research & Policy conducted an evaluation of the CALL process within an equity and impact framework. Leaders and community advocates then discussed these results at the Center for Health Equity.
“Strategic Philanthropy can play a vital role in social justice to bring about system change. CALL is a collaboration with Law Enforcement, City Government, Nonprofit Partners, and the private sector, to formalize a response to a needed improvement in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, for non-violent emergency call response.” said Carl Lavender. He’s one of the Interim Co-CEOs at Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. “The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg funded the evaluation of the program. It’s important to our mission that data supports the solution in our community. Bringing about change and equity in an emergency response.”
“I’m very pleased that USF’s study, funded by the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, affirms the success and intentional equity of our award-winning CALL program. By sending CALL team members to non-violent, non-criminal 911 calls, it frees up officers to handle crime and provides another level of professional services to our residents,” said Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police.
“Today’s CALL community session was informative and timely. Dr. Verona’s research findings provided concrete ideas and considerations for future implementation of the initiative.” Shared Dr. Sandra Braham, Gulf Coast JFCS.