County reports going back to 2024<\/a> consistently show more calls<\/a> going to TRUST than the county\u2019s other crisis support programs that involve police to varying degrees. The most recent report<\/a> published this week shows TRUST received 1,484 calls from January to March, and saw the highest amount of calls resulting in someone\u2019s \u201cstabilization\u201d and being linked to resources \u2014 at 94% of all calls over that time period.<\/p>\n Compare that to the county\u2019s Mobile Response Stabilization Services unit, which received 842 calls over the same time period. The county\u2019s Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) received 847 calls and the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team<\/a> (PERT), which has one Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) police officer and clinician dispatched by 9-1-1, received 122 calls. County funding for the PERT program ended on Dec. 31, but Santa Clara and Palo Alto are funding their own PERT programs.<\/p>\n Despite its high call volume<\/a>, opinions on TRUST\u2019s overall progress vary. Sharon Watkins \u2014 whose 23-year-old son was fatally shot by San Jose police in 2015 while he was having a mental health crisis \u2014 has long advocated for TRUST. She said she doesn\u2019t want to see funding go away, but has issues with how the program has evolved.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the issues I have with TRUST is they don\u2019t have a clinician all the time to declare a 5150,\u201d Watkins told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight, referring to\u00a0a section of the state welfare code authorizing an involuntary 72-hour hold for someone in a mental health crisis.<\/p>\n TRUST teams have trained staff members on scene to stabilize someone in a mental health crisis before involving law enforcement. If it escalates, county policy requires TRUST workers to defer to the MCRT to conduct a 5150 assessment or law enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been hiccups along the way,\u201d Corina Cardenas, a TRUST advocate and organizer with Silicon Valley De-Bug, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI do know there were also questions about two different teams arriving at the same location. If TRUST is dispatched and (the MCRT) arrives first, what happens to TRUST\u2019s ability to bill? Can both entities bill? That\u2019s been a source of confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Department said crisis response contractors\u2019 payments are not tied to individual calls.<\/p>\n Cardenas said the program can\u2019t evolve without a steady funding source and\u00a0 Newsom\u2019s proposal is going to impact not just TRUST, but the other non-police crisis response teams as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that should be concerning for everyone,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cWe really want TRUST to succeed and I don\u2019t think the governor cutting this realizes how many families he\u2019s going to affect.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for Newsom\u2019s office didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County leaders say they\u2019re committed to finding a path forward for the program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are strongly advocating that the state protect critical funding for mobile crisis response in 2027 so that we can continue to provide this effective, highly responsive form of care for our community,\u201d County Executive James Williams told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Funding on the ropes<\/p>\n The funding issue also comes amid a brewing fight<\/a> between county officials and the leaders of the county\u2019s largest city, San Jose. The city has for years lagged on raising the number of calls diverted to non-police intervention teams<\/a>, and city officials have faced questions from TRUST advocates\u00a0about their commitment to making the program work. Earlier this month, lawyers for Silicon Valley De-Bug lambasted the city for failing to do so. The lawyers said county officials have engaged in efforts to resolve the issue, while San Jose hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city of San Jose has been working closely with the county of Santa Clara and community partners to raise awareness of mental health resources, including TRUST and the 988 Crisis Lifeline,\u201d Carolina Camarena, a spokesperson for the City Manager\u2019s Office, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThese efforts are making a measurable difference, with resident awareness up by 13% over the past year, according to recent city polling.\u201d<\/p>\n The city did not respond to a request for the poll being referenced.<\/p>\n Camarena said the city has been telling residents about TRUST through social media, multilingual materials at community centers and library branches and with resource cards to community-based organizations.<\/p>\n The City Council has repeatedly directed staff to improve efforts to divert 9-1-1 calls to crisis intervention teams. But city officials have suggested the county isn\u2019t helping enough as the primary provider of health services \u2014 while county officials have pointed blame back at the city. Mayor Matt Mahan has also been publicly skeptical<\/a> of putting city money toward the program, questioning its long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n Representatives for Mahan\u2019s office didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
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