Ypsilanti, Mich. – People experiencing a mental health crisis in Ypsilanti could soon see a trained specialist, not police, responding to their calls.
The change comes after the Ypsilanti City Council on Tuesday (May 5) approved nearly $1 million in funding for an unarmed community crisis response team.
The program is intended to send specialists to mental health, substance use, and other health-related calls, instead of, or in addition to, law enforcement.
“This was a long time coming,” said Amber Fellows, one of two city council members who introduced the resolution.
Fellows said the original resolution was introduced a year ago.
But the recent vote comes months after a 30-hour police standoff that many residents said underscored the need for a different kind of response.
Boarded-up windows and exposed siding now mark the home where that standoff unfolded just blocks from resident Megan Foldenauer’s house.
“It was shocking,” Foldenauer said. “It was very unexpected.”
Police spent more than a day in a standoff with a man armed with a sword. Officers ultimately cut into the home, deployed flash-bang devices, and removed the man safely.
Foldenauer said she believes the situation could have been handled differently.
“They needed different people out there,” Foldenauer said. “It wasn’t handled as well as it could have been.” She and others in the neighborhood felt the man was in the midst of a mental health crisis.
On Tuesday, council members voted to move the city toward a new approach by approving a resolution to have a mental health specialist show up to calls where someone may be having a crisis.
Council member Fellows, called the move an important step.
“I feel like it’s a major victory on the path to actually having a compassionate unarmed response,” Fellows said.
Fellows added that she hopes the city can work with other entities to establish this program, and she also wants to hear from members of the community.
She said it’s important to reach out to council members to share how they want the program to look.
Local 4 also reached out to the city to see how the program could run.
The city manager sent a statement:
“The City of Ypsilanti is working with Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) to provide an assessment on how the city can build out this program. During last night’s meeting, city council assigned the revenue generated through the Washtenaw County Public Safety Millage to fund this program, excluding funds that have already been committed to public amenities and housing. This has been a budget priority for council the last few years, and both city staff and council are committed to working with our county partners to make this program a reality.
While we are eager to see this team in action, we want to make sure it reflects the needs of our community and is designed to be an effective use of resources.”
Andrew Hellenga, Ypsilanti City Manager
Local 4 reached out to the Ypsilanti Police Department for comment on the new initiative and is awaiting a response.
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