CARES is a special program by CMPD. It stands for Citizen Assistance: Response, Engage, Support. In practice, the program allows CMPD to use a team made up of a licensed social worker and a paramedic to handle non-violent calls. This training makes them far more effective when dealing with people struggling with mental illness, substance abuse issues and homelessness.
As a provider, it’s important to know about these teams and that you can specifically request a CARES team when calling 911. Because they deal with many different types of homeless people, they have created a great one-page tri-fold handout which you can download and print. Just click below to download it.
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