Worried About Someone’s Safety on the Street?

San Francisco is streamlining and improving its response to people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis on the streets.

This is how you can help when you see people in crisis: call 911 if it is an emergency. A highly trained dispatcher will find out what is going on and send help. Contact 311 for non-emergencies. A customer service agent will help you find the right city service.

San Francisco’s Coordinated Street Response Program provides multidisciplinary resources that involve many public agencies working closely together. The program includes specialized street response teams of mental health clinicians, community paramedics, EMTs, social workers, and peer counselors who work together to provide compassionate care to those in need on the street.

Street response teams respond to 911 calls, where highly trained dispatchers send the most appropriate response team for each situation. Calling 911 does not necessarily mean that the police will respond. San Francisco is a leader in developing alternatives to law enforcement for people experiencing behavioral health crises.

911 is for police, fire, and medical emergencies. A behavioral health crisis is a medical emergency. Calling 911 puts you in contact with a highly trained dispatcher who will send the most appropriate response team for each situation. When you call 911, expect these questions:

Where is the emergency?
What is happening?
Who is involved?
Is anyone injured?
Is there a weapon?

311 is for City services, information, and non-emergencies, including:

Support for unhoused people
Mobility and access issues
Encampments
Street/sidewalk cleaning
Food security programs
Trash can overruns
Syringes/hazardous waste
Graffiti

More about the Coordinated Street Response Program