CAHOOTS is a mental healthcrisis intervention program in Eugene, Oregon. Since 1989 they have responded to Eugene's mental health 911 calls. In most cities, police respond to such calls. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington, VA, at least 25% of people killed in police encounters have serious mental illness. Other cities in the US and other countries have investigated or implemented the concept. In 2015 Stockholm a similar concept was implemented and considered a success. In the US as of 2019 CAHOOTS was working with Olympia, Denver, Oakland, New York City, Indianapolis, Portland, Austin, and Chicago to help implement similar programs.
Program
Calls to 911 that are related to addiction, disorientation, mental health crises, and homelessness but which don't pose a danger to others are routed to CAHOOTS. Teams of two responders include a medic and a mental health crisis counselor. Responders attend to immediate health issues, de-escalate, and help formulate a plan, which may include finding a bed in a homeless shelter or transporting to a mental health facility. Some calls require both CAHOOTS and law enforcement to be called out initially, and sometimes CAHOOTS calls in law enforcement or law enforcement calls in CAHOOTS, for instance in the case of a homeless person who is in danger of being ticketed. In 2018 they responded to 20% of calls in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, up from 17% in 2017. In 2018, the program cost $800,000, as compared to $58 million for the police.
History
CAHOOTS was founded in 1989 by the Eugene Police Department and White Bird Clinic, a nonprofit mental health crisis intervention initiative that had been in existence since 1969 as an "alternative for those who didn't trust the cops." From its founding, White Bird Clinic had an informal working relationship with local law enforcement. CAHOOTS formalized the relationship. The name, an acronym for Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets, was chosen because the White Bird Clinic "was now 'in cahoots' with the police."
