SAN ANTONIO – City officials are pushing to better serve San Antonio’s homeless population; and lighten the load for city police. Their goal is to build a diversion and rehabilitation center.
“Something like this is probably long overdue,” said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus at Wednesday’s
City council, law enforcement, and local health care advocates are working together to keep people out of a jail cell, and into proper treatment.
“Bexar County is the only major county in the state of Texas that currently does not have a jail diversion program,” said District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo.
The center would focus on low level misdemeanor offenders who either struggle with homelessness or mental health issues. The program would give them individualized help rather than an extended jail stay.
“What we know is, typically, these diversion programs support unhoused individuals not reoffend,” Castillo said. “Here in Bexar County, we know our county jails at capacity, Haven for Hopes at capacity, and essentially what this does is divert [and] rehabilitate community members who are in need of that assistance.”
It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort; especially between the city, Bexar County and the Center for Health Care Services (CHCS).
“We’ve been talking about the need for diversion center for many years, and as the local mental health authority, we felt it was time to put this concept in action,” said CHCS CEO Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison.
As a mental health expert, she says this kind of center benefits the community — and those responsible for protecting it.
“The biggest challenge for our law enforcement is where to take these individuals,” Jamison said. “We ask our law enforcement entities to solve all of our issues, but we don’t necessarily give them all of the resources to do that. So from a law enforcement perspective, this is one additional tool in their toolbox.”
“By adding this resource, we’re alleviating some of the concern and pressure that folks are seeing at the county jail in terms of the services that are needed,” Councilwoman Castillo said.
Both SAPD and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office have mental health units. At Wednesday’s council meeting, Chief William McManus said it’s just not enough.
“I think SAPD has done pretty much everything we can do from a mental health perspective,” he said.
The next step is a study. It will take a closer look at the details to help form a solid plan. After that, the question becomes how will it be paid for it. A newly formed committee will discuss in their first meeting.
They haven’t set a date yet.