Portland Street Response

The City of Portland is working on developing a new first response option: Portland Street Response. The goal of the Portland Street Response is to get the right first responder to the right call at the right time. Inspired by the City of Eugene’s CAHOOTS program, the Portland Street Response is an answer to the high number of calls emergency dispatchers receive, especially related to the houseless population and people dealing with mental health crises. The vision of Portland Street Response is to provide a new branch of first responders who are trained in behavioral health-related crisis intervention and first aid that can respond to 911 requests related to a behavioral health crisis or people experiencing houselessness that do not require police, fire, or ambulatory services. Commissioner Hardesty is currently working with the Mayor’s Office to convene a multi-jurisdictional stakeholder group to develop this pilot program.