When a mental health crisis unfolds in Miami-Dade County, a call to 1-866-SAFEMIA brings a different kind of first responder. Instead of armed officers, the Freedom House Mobile Crisis Team sends trained medics, therapists and crisis interventionists who focus on listening, de-escalating and connecting people to care — all without involving police.
Run by Dade County Street Response (DCSR), unit members function as both hotline call-takers and outreach workers, providing direct support to callers and people they encounter on the street. Team members conduct on-site assessments, prioritize medical emergencies, develop safety plans and connect people to resources with the goal of avoiding involuntary psychiatric commitment under Florida’s Baker Act whenever possible.
“That reality is central to our approach: we don’t involve the police,” said Dr. Armen Henderson, DCSR’s executive director. “As CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) has demonstrated, they’ve handled over 24,000 calls annually and only required police backup in a few hundred—under 1%. We model our system similarly centered on harm reduction, cultural familiarity and trust.”…