INDIANAPOLIS — The City of Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) announced the start of a pilot program that will seek to divert individuals experiencing homelessness and suffering from mental illness and addiction from the criminal justice system. The pilot will provide the first non-jail and non-emergency department option for IMPD officers in Downtown District, enabling them to transport willing individuals to the Reuben Engagement Center for short-term care and connection to recovery housing and treatment services.
Mayor Hogsett noted, “A prison is not a healthcare facility, and an illness is not a crime. Now, IMPD officers in Downtown District will be able to connect those in need with care and recovery, rather than a jail cell or the temporary solution of an emergency room bed.”
Opened last year, the Reuben Engagement Center provides a safe place for adults who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness and unable to enter emergency shelter due to active substance abuse or a mental health diagnosis. The first-of-its-kind facility in Indianapolis is staffed by medical personnel who collaborate with private and not-for-profit agencies, as well as healthcare providers, to deliver immediate non-emergency care and wraparound services such as mental health evaluations, case management, and housing referrals. Individuals seeking treatment at the Reuben Engagement Center must be compliant and voluntarily seeking assistance. The facility is a part of OPHS. On June 15, the Mayor announced Brandy McCord as the new Executive Director of the Reuben Engagement Center.
IMPD officers on Downtown District and the Downtown Flex and Homeless Outreach Team will now use the Reuben Engagement Center as an option to divert citizens from a hospital visit or criminal arrest with incarceration. Individuals who voluntarily commit to seeking treatment may be transported to the facility, where they will have access to resources that aid in long-term rehabilitation and a return to self-sufficiency. Officers part of IMPD’s specially-trained Behavioral Health Units (BHU) and Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCAT) began diverting residents in crisis to the Reuben Engagement Center last year.
