Hennepin County is working with local law enforcement to better serve individuals living with mental illness. Several police departments across the county have collected information related to mental health 911 calls including frequency, response, and location. Early identification of and intervention for residents living with mental illness are critical strategies to prevent hospitalizations, civil commitment, and the overrepresentation of persons with mental illness in the criminal justice system. Equipping local police departments with the needed expertise and resources provided through social services will fill an essential role in community public safety, better utilization of state and local hospitals while reserving capacity for others needing psychiatric services, and more effective use of law enforcement resources.

In 2019, six suburban cities partnered with Hennepin County’s Behavioral Health Area in a new kind of response to mental health-related calls in the field: embedding social workers in their police departments (Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Plymouth and St. Louis Park.) Through the program, embedded social workers receive referrals from the municipal police departments regarding individuals who appear to have mental health, substance use, or other issues during interactions with police and/or dispatch. Social workers offer support, assessments, and connections to community services that will best meet their needs. 

The goal of the program is to reduce criminal justice involvement and create timely access to social services. Integrating social workers into the emergency response is reducing unnecessary law enforcement contacts and raises people’s quality of life through ongoing stability in their community. In 2020, there were over 1,700 referrals to the program and in 2021 this increased to 6,177 referrals. While a significant number of people were referred to mental health supports, many needed help across a wide range of human services like housing and economic support. This new approach has won support as a timely and effective response to community needs. In 2020 and again in 2021, a review of the program in Brooklyn Park showed a drop in mental health related calls among the top 25 callers to police dispatch. After 6 months of engagement with the social worker, repeat calls dropped by 85%.

This board action request aligns with Hennepin County disparity reduction efforts by increasing access to culturally specific/sensitive mental health services and increasing community well-being.

Since 2019, many cities throughout the county have formed agreements with the County to collaborate in providing social workers embedded with law enforcement in their city. Staff have reviewed various ways the service should be financed and have reached the conclusion that the cost sharing agreement for jurisdictions for the embedded social workers is the cities fund 60% of the costs and the county funds 40%. Staff also concluded that the opportunity to participate in the program should be extended to all of the city police departments within Hennepin County, but that a deadline be established so the County can do appropriate planning in determining additional programming needs.

Given that an addition of 15 social workers and one social work unit supervisor increases the department cost pool and allows for an estimated $423,000 in federal administrative revenue, $340,000 of property tax is needed in 2023 to cover net costs associated for the positions.

The current request is to authorize the County Administrator to offer cities in Hennepin County the opportunity to notify Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health in writing of their intent to join the Embedded Social Worker program, set a deadline for such notifications, set the cost-sharing arrangement for the program, authorize the County Administrator to negotiate Joint Powers Agreements for the program, authorize the Chair of the board to sign Joint Powers Agreements, and approve the addition of FTEs to staff the program.