The money will support hiring additional health care workers and further expand the program, including deeper reach into the San Fernando Valley.
By Sarah Lin
Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday more than $2 million in federal funding to expand the city’s CIRCLE program, which dispatches mental health professionals and peer specialists to nonviolent crisis calls rather than police officers.
The money will support hiring additional health care workers and further expand the program, including deeper reach into the San Fernando Valley.
CIRCLE — short for Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement — operates 24 hours a day. Teams respond to people experiencing mental health challenges or other crises, aiming to de-escalate situations and connect individuals with services without involving law enforcement in nonviolent cases.
The program is run through the mayor’s Office of Community Safety. Since Bass took office, it has grown to cover Downtown Los Angeles, Central Hollywood, South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Westside neighborhoods and the Harbor Area.
“For too long, communities have been asking for a better way to respond to mental health crises: CIRCLE is that solution,” Bass said. “By bringing trained mental health professionals directly into our communities, we are ensuring Angelenos in crisis receive the care they need, not just a response.”
Rivas, who helped secure the funding, said the investment will expand the program into the San Fernando Valley and support a “more compassionate response system.”
Padilla said the teams can assess needs and connect people with support, particularly for unhoused residents in crisis.
