COMPASS Gets Another Year

by Laura Glesby The New Haven independent

Social workers and supportive peers will continue to respond to New Haven-based 911 calls related to addiction, homelessness, and mental illness through June 2026 — now that the Board of Alders has officially approved a no-cost yearlong extension of the city’s COMPASS crisis response team.

On Monday, the Board of Alders unanimously authorized the city to renew an existing contract with Yale, in coordination with Continuum of Care, charging them with managing the crisis response team.

COMPASS first began operating as a pilot program in November 2022, in an effort to respond to 911 calls about non-violent behavior associated with addiction or mental illness without involving the criminal justice system. The team’s crisis responders typically work in pairs comprising a mental health professional and someone who can draw from personal experience with addiction or mental health challenges. 

The existing contract was previously slated to end on June 30, 2025. It’s now been extended to June 30, 2026, with the possibility of further extensions in the future.

The extension will not involve any additional budgeted funds from the city, according to the proposal, since the initial contract’s commitment of up to $3,513,842 has not yet been reached. 

Finance Committee Chair and Westville Alder Adam Marchand emphasized that the renewal ​“would not increase costs” on the city’s part due to a ​“surplus in the funds approved from last year for the contract” as he advocated for the extension at Monday’s alder meeting. 

“The Department of Community Resilience spoke positively about the university’s work coordinating with various partners to launch and operate this program,” Marchand said, summarizing a January Finance Committee meeting at which the renewal was reviewed.

Since November 2022, the program has responded to 1,165 calls initially dispatched to police and fire as well as 72 calls directly dispatched to COMPASS, plus 726 interactions through unprompted outreach efforts.

Laura Glesby Photo

Alder Adam Marchand advocates for renewing the crisis response contract.