TO: City Council DATE: December 8, 2025 DEPARTMENT: Police Department
PREPARED BY: Thomas O’Neal, Police Captain
PRESENTER: Thomas O’Neal, Police Captain
AGENDA TITLE: Grand Jury Report-Care Response Unit Statistics
RECOMMENDATION
Approve report as presented and provide suggestions for data collection and reporting for future reports.
BACKGROUND
On April 17, 2025, the Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury issued a report titled Homelessness: A County-Wide Issue. The report provided an in-depth review of homeless programs in Mendocino County and included a recommendation that the Fort Bragg Police Department present “verified results from the Care Response Unit program, both positive and negative, to be reported to the City Council of Fort Bragg by December 2025.”
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Definition of Success
CRU’s overarching mission is to Reduce contacts between individuals with mental health illness and/or substance use disorders and law enforcement. CRU’s unofficial motto is Addressing the chronic to prevent the acute. CRU pursues its mission through several approaches, with primary methods being:
Identifying and addressing gaps in current social services programs to more effectively reduce chronic homelessness, mental illness, and substance use disorders (SUD).
Advocating for and supporting clients in receiving available social services.
Developing streamlined processes to improve access to social services and enhance their effectiveness.
The Care Response Unit (CRU) has been working for the past two months on identifying what data and information should be included in the Grand Jury-requested report to City Council. CRU reviewed all of its applicable programs, began a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis, and reached out to other similar programs in the county to request what data or benchmarks of success those programs used.
Presenting data for the CRU program is challenging because much of the information is qualitative. Rather than measuring success by the number of clients served, CRU evaluates its impact based on its ability to address complex overlooked or underserved social problems that directly affect public safety and law enforcement. This problem-focused approach has led CRU to expand into several sub-programs, each designed to meet the needs of distinct populations.
Each of these sub-programs tracks different types of quantitative data, often based on funding requirements or the nature of services provided. Further complicating data collection efforts is the issue of funding agencies frequently defining similar services and data categories in different ways. To ensure consistency and clarity for the purpose of this report, CRU has attempted to merge and standardize these definitions across programs.
Defining success for a program as innovative as CRU is difficult. One core metric used is the reduction in arrests among homeless individuals. This measure can be tracked through Police Department statistics and translated into taxpayer savings by showing reduced strain on the criminal justice system and other acute treatment systems such as hospital emergency rooms. Unfortunately, this metric does not reveal whether those savings are simply shifted to other social service programs. For example, a person who spends six months in an in‑patient rehabilitation program for substance use disorder may avoid arrest during that time, but the treatment itself still carries significant costs. Since most participants are covered by Medi‑Cal, those expenses ultimately remain taxpayer funded.
CRU has tried to measure the costs its clients place on outside social service programs, but data collection has been difficult due to privacy laws and barriers to information sharing. In addition, some CRU programs compete with other existing initiatives for a shrinking pool of social service funding. This competition has, at times, created tension with other providers and reinforced the siloing of information and data.
CRU has collected a significant amount of qualitative data demonstrating the program’s success. Much of this evidence comes from client success stories, where individuals with frequent law enforcement contacts were connected to social services. In many cases, this support led to a substantial reduction, or even a complete end, to their interactions with law enforcement. These client stories are not just “feel good” stories, they represent a clear example of CRU achieving its mission.
As an example, below are three success stories from just the last 90 days that demonstrate CRU’s ability to solve complex issues.
An elderly woman who has been living on the streets of Fort Bragg for nearly five years was finally placed on mental health hold in part due to the work of CRU in documenting its ongoing efforts to address the client’s chronic mental health issues. The client is now in the process of obtaining housing through Redwood Community Services (RCS) respite housing.
An elderly housed male was calling 911 multiple times a day for months despite having no medical need. The calls for service resulted in approximately twenty unnecessary ambulance transports, law enforcement dispatches and emergency room visits. CRU worked with partners to complete a “wraparound” meeting where a comprehensive plan was created to close the gaps in the client’s care, resulting in a significant drop in calls for medical and police services.
CRU and RCS partnered to find long-term housing for a homeless individual with an alcohol-related substance use disorder that resulted in him being arrested and transported to county jail approximately six times in one month with those arrests typically involving emergency room visits for medical clearance. The individual has generated no calls for service in the last sixty days.
Care Response Unit: Sub-Programs
Care Response Unit
The Care Response Unit (CRU) was the title given to the original program funded through the Behavioral Health Justice Institute Services grant in 2022. CRU now is commonly used as a generic term for all social services programs operated by the Fort Bragg Police Department. The core CRU program most commonly works with adults who frequently come into contact with law enforcement.
Proposition 47 (Cohort 4)
Proposition 47 (Prop 47) refers to a program funded in 2025 through the Board of State and Community Corrections. Prop 47 is intended to reduce recidivism by working directly with individuals who have had recent contact with the criminal justice system. Prop 47 encompasses several approaches, including:
Funding six transitional beds through the Hospitality Center Funding one emergency stabilization bed through the Hospitality House Providing CRU services on the Mendocino Coast outside of the City of Fort Bragg Funding additional direct client services through the Hospitality Center Coordinating the Proposition 47 Local Advisory Committee in order to solicit feedback related to the program from the public and a diverse group of stakeholders.
Project Right Now
Project Right Now (PRN) primarily focuses on youth 14-25 years of age who are experiencing substance use disorder related to opioids. PRN is funded through the California Youth Opioid Response (YOR) program. PRN is currently partnered with the Fort Bragg Unified School District, Mendocino High School, and Mendocino College. PRN was funded in Cohort 3 and Cohort 4. PRN’s primary services include:
Partnering with the schools to ensure immediate access to substance use disorder treatment (SUDT) for youth.
Providing Narcan training and Narcan to the schools, public, and community organizations.
Pursuing the goals identified by the City of Fort Bragg’s Fentanyl Task Force.
Developing preventative programs aimed at reducing SUD amongst youth.
Emergency Weather Shelter
The Emergency Weather Shelter (EWS) is funded by the County using pass-through funds from the Homeless, Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) grant. The EWS provides motel room vouchers during moderate to severe weather during the winter months in order to shelter homeless individuals. Prior to December 2021, the EWS was operated by the Hospitality Center using various churches on the Mendocino Coast for housing. The Police Department took over the EWS in 2021 due to a lack of interest by local non-profits in maintaining the program. Funding for the EWS is expected to run out this winter season.
Homeward Bound
Homeward Bound is funded through the County and is intended to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with established resources, such as family members outside of Mendocino County. From 2022-2024, CRU operated this program through County reimbursements. Sometime in approximately 2024, the Homeward Bound program transitioned to Redwood Community Services.
When the program was operated by CRU, CRU completed a screening with the client and communicated with a family member or other established resource in the outside community to ensure a plan was in place to receive and house the client. CRU then completed the travel arrangements and followed up with the client and receiving resource to ensure the client arrived safely.
Now that the program has transitioned to RCS, CRU assists in connecting the client with RCS in Ukiah in order to complete the Homeward Bound process. This involves communicating the initial client screening results to RCS.
Statistics
The below statistics are broken out by program and by timeframe when possible. Each data set also includes statistical insights and definitions related to services when applicable.
Care Response Unit
Care Response Unit
Referrals to Mental Health
Completed Screenings
Clients Reported to Receive/Have Received SUD Services
2022 Q1 Jan - Mar
0 49
0 2022 Q2 April - Jun
0 0
0 2022 Q3 Jul - Sept
3 14
4 2022 Q4 Oct - Dec
0 101
0 2022 Totals
3 164
4 2023 Q1 Jan - Mar
3 75
0 2023 Q2 April - Jun
5 74
30 2023 Q3 Jul - Sept
14 46
17 2023 Q4 Oct - Dec
8 26
28 2023 Totals
30 221
75 2024 Q1 Jan - Mar
7 52
0 2024 Q2 April - Jun
10 48
33 2024 Q3 Jul - Sept
7 69
15 2024 Q4 Oct - Dec
3 73
65 2024 Totals
27 242
113
2025 Q1 Jan - Mar
5 96
36 2025 Q2 April - Jun
End of Grant (Refer to Prop 47)
End of Grant (Refer to Prop 47)
-
2025 Q3 Jul - Sept
End of Grant (Refer to Prop 47)
End of Grant (Refer to Prop 47)
-
2025 Totals
5 96
36 Start to Present Totals:
65 723
228
Definitions
Referral to Mental Health
Referral for a person not already connected to mental health. Referral actions include assisting with making initial contact with a mental health provider.
Completed Screenings
This is the number of clients who have been screened for services. Refer to the attached Needs Screening Form for additional information on the screening process.
Clients Reported to Receive/Have Received SUD Services
These are the number of clients who are assisted with enrolling in or maintaining substance use disorder services for both inpatient and outpatient treatment types.
Referrals to Substance Use Disorder Treatment (SUDT) (Inpatient) (Data through 09/30/2025) Year
Number of Referrals
Unique Individuals Served (Yearly)
Detox Only
Completed 30 Days
Completed 60 Days
2022
4 4
0 0
0 2023
20 19
0 6
1 2024
30 24
2 3
1 2025
9 8
0 1
0 PROGRAM TOTALS
63 55
2 10
2 Referrals to SUD (Inpatient) (Data through 09/30/2025) Year
Completed 90 (<) Days
Completed 6< Month Program
Transferred to SLE
No Discharge Date Reported
Returned to Treatment through CRU at least once (to date) 2022
1 0
1 3
-
2023
3 2
2 5
-
2024
5 0
4 7
-
2025
3 0
2 3
12 PROGRAM TOTALS
12 2
9 18
12 Annual Arrest Statistics
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
369
291
181
129
92 Total Arrests
755
534
637
511
361
Percentage Homeless
48.87%
54.49%
28.41%
25.24%
25.48%
Broken Down by Month
January
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
39 26
18 14
5 Total Arrests
57 44
58 43
36 Percentage Homeless
68.42%
59.09%
31.03%
32.56%
13.89%
February
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
28 25
20 10
5 Total Arrests
66 43
58 39
32 Percentage Homeless
42.42%
58.14%
34.48%
25.64%
15.63%
March
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
29 24
17 13
10 Total Arrests
66 40
59 54
31 Percentage Homeless
43.94%
60.00%
28.81%
24.07%
32.26%
April
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
30 29
18 5
6 Total Arrests
62 51
63 38
37 Percentage Homeless
48.39%
56.86%
28.57%
13.16%
16.22%
May
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
36 22
11 8
12 Total Arrests
66 36
28 37
31 Percentage Homeless
54.55%
61.11%
39.29%
21.62%
38.71%
June
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
45 28
14 6
18 Total Arrests
77 44
40 24
44 Percentage Homeless
58.44%
63.64%
35.00%
25.00%
40.91%
July
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
57 25
27 5
19 Total Arrests
105
37 86
46 53
Percentage Homeless
54.29%
67.57%
31.40%
10.87%
35.85%
August
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
38 28
15 8
4 Total Arrests
61 47
55 31
31 Percentage Homeless
62.30%
59.57%
27.27%
25.81%
12.90%
September
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
39 28
15 16
8 Total Arrests
65 45
55 63
33 Percentage Homeless
60.00%
62.22%
27.27%
25.40%
24.24%
October
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
26 37
13 12
5 Total Arrests
51 61
49 50
33 Percentage Homeless
50.98%
60.66%
26.53%
24.00%
15.15%
November
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
21 25
12 16
Total Arrests
39 45
43 38
Percentage Homeless
53.85%
55.56%
27.91%
42.11%
December
2018
2019
CRU
2023
2024
2025
Number of Homeless Arrests
17 16
12 16
Total Arrests
40 41
43 48
Percentage Homeless
42.50%
39.02%
27.91%
33.33%
Statistical Insights: Care Response Unit
Data for Q2 of 2022 was not located. This was during the start of the program as we were working to determine what data was required for the grant. There were additionally employee/responsibility changes at the time related to data collection.
Referrals to substance use disorder treatment during 2025 appear to be cooling. CRU attributes this to stronger relationships with SUDT providers, resulting in clients being directly connected to SUDT without CRU’s assistance. 19% of the clients referred to SUDT (inpatient) worked with CRU a second time following relapse to reenter inpatient treatment.
Arrests related to homelessness continue to be lower compared to the introduction of CRU. It is worth noting that data related to 2020-2022 are not included due to the statistical anomalies related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proposition 47
Proposition 47 (10/03/2024-09/30/2025)
Deliverables
Unique Individuals
Percentage
Definition
Individuals Served
180
Reported to BSSC - meets justice-involved criteria of arrest, conviction, probation/parole; Includes One-Time Intervention Services (examples: meals, mail services, ID vouchers, EWS) Individuals Enrolled
117
65%
Reported to BSSC - meets justice-involved criteria of arrest, conviction, probation/parole Mendocino County Recidivism
38 32%
New arrests or citations after enrollment
Program Specifics
Obtained Employment At Program Completion - 16 individuals 6 38%
Increase in employment: either movement from unemployment to part-time or full-time employment, or movement from underemployment to full-time employment Obtained Housing At Program Completion - 16 individuals 14 88%
Either permanent housing or permanently living with friends/family.
Individuals in the Bridge Transitional Housing Program
4.5 Individuals whose Transitional House bed at MCHC is being paid for by the Prop 47 grant. These individuals are receiving case management services with CRU & MCHC, as well as working towards goals of employment and stable housing. (To date, this program has been offered to 15 individuals.) Emergency Shelter Bed
5 Prop 47 pays for one emergency shelter bed at the Hospitality House to be used at CRU's discretion for the purpose of stabilizing an individual who has been living unsheltered. The goal is to provide a short-term safe place for the individual prior to them entering inpatient treatment. (Of the 5 individuals: 2 entered inpatient treatment, 2 were not SUD involved and were elderly, and returned to the streets. 1 was provided a bus ticket to go to Building Bridges in Ukiah at their request.) Project Right Now
Project Right Now - Cohort 3
Narcan Distributed
Individuals Served
Eval & Referrals to MAT
Instances of Outreach
Instances of Case Management
2023 Q1 April - Jun
0 16
2 413
153
2023 Q2 July - Sept
49 8
0 1555
241
2023 Q4 Oct - Dec
124
23 0
593
240
2023 Totals
173
47 2
2561
634
2024 Q1 Jan - Mar
118
24 2
759
255
2024 Q2 April - Jun
30 45
5 606
201
2024 Q3 Jul - Sept
205
46 0
217
254
2024 Totals
353
115
7 1582
710
Cohort 3 Totals
526
162
9 4143
1344
Project Right Now - Cohort 4
Narcan Distributed
Individuals Served
Eval & Referrals to SUDT
Instances of Outreach
Instances of Case Management
2025 Q1 May - June
15 5
4 4
33 2025 Q2 Jul - Sept
21 5
0 17
64 2025 Totals
36 10
4 21
97 Cohort 4 Totals
36 10
4 21
97 Definitions
Narcan Distributed
How many units of Narcan are distributed to the general public during school events, trainings, and by request.
Unique Individuals Served
How many unique individuals were served during the quarter as ongoing clients.
Evaluation & Referrals for SUDT
How many individuals were evaluated and referred for substance use disorder treatment (SUDT).
Instances of Outreach
Outreach at the schools during events such as individual outreach, city events, homecoming, football games, rallies, etc., or tabling in general at the schools or with the general public.
Instances of Case Management
Number of times meeting with a client (ongoing services).
Statistical Insights: Project Right Now
The changes in the number of clients served between Cohort 3 and Cohort 4 are due to a change in the program model. Cohort 3 involved one full-time employee and approximately five sub-contractors delivering services. Cohort 4 only funds one full-time employee.
While not listed is estimated the Project Right Now has trained over 2000 Mendocino coast residents in the use of Narcan to include virtually all of the High School staff and students in Fort Bragg and Mendocino.
Emergency Weather Shelter
Emergency Weather Shelter
Unique Individuals
Total Bed Nights
Motel Voucher Cost
Administrative Overhead
Percentage
December 2021
36 97
$729.30
$0.00
January 2022
12 97
$2,917.20
$0.00
February 2022
14 33
$3,086.69
$0.00
March 2022
24 62
$6,563.70
$0.00
April 2022
29 104
$8,605.74
$0.00
2021 - 2022 Totals
115
296
$21,902.63
$0.00
0%
November 2022
17 20
$1,752.00
$0.00
December 2022
66 240
$20,878.00
$0.00
January 2023
69 175
$24,659.68
$0.00
February 2023
43 120
$7,689.80
$0.00
March 2023
43 154
$7,689.80
$0.00
April 2023
5 5
$339.24
$0.00
2022 - 2023 Totals
243
714
$63,008.52
$0.00
0%
December 2023
24 58
$4,070.88
$1,151.69
January 2024
50 120
$8,820.24
$2,450.32
February 2024
40 126
$6,671.80
$2,323.60
March 2024
38 125
$7,350.19
$2,390.60
2023 - 2024 Totals
152
429
$26,913.11
$8,316.21
24%
November 2024
52 206
$16,352.00
$215.25
December 2024
38 117
$11,972.00
$1,515.68
January 2025
33 123
$10,512.00
$2,115.75
February 2025
54 266
$20,903.00
$1,782.38
March 2025
30 145
$11,826.00
$1,638.00
2024 - 2025 Totals
207
857
$71,565.00
$7,267.06
9%
PROGRAM TOTALS
717
2296
$183,389.26
$15,583.27
8%
Statistical Insights: Emergency Weather Shelter
The administrative costs beginning in December 2023 were due to adding a part-time EWS clerk in order to allow CRU Team members to focus on providing direct client services.
Homeward Bound
CRU Homeward Bound
Referrals Completed
Successful
Unknown
Returned
Cost
2021 Q1 Jan - Mar
2 0
1 1
$327.23
2021 Q2 April - Jun
2 0
2 0
$271.78
2021 Q3 Jul - Sept
3 0
3 0
$595.22
2021 Q4 Oct - Dec
7 0
4 3
$985.51
2021 Totals
14 0
10 4
$2,179.74
2022 Q1 Jan - Mar
3 0
2 1
$557.11
2022 Q2 April - Jun
3 0
2 1
$129.58
2022 Q3 Jul - Sept
7 0
5 2
$993.59
2022 Q4 Oct - Dec
1 0
0 1
$5.25
2022 Totals
14 0
9 5
$1,685.53
2023 Q1 Jan - Mar
9 5
0 5
$557.11
2023 Q2 April - Jun
6 5
0 2
$1,738.10
2023 Q3 Jul - Sept
4 4
0 0
$309.13
2023 Q4 Oct - Dec
1 1
0 0
$265.00
2023 Totals
22 15
0 7
$2,869.34
2024 Q1 Jan - Mar
1 0
0 1
$23.00
2024 Q2 April - Jun
8 0
4 4
$42.00
2024 Totals
9 0
4 5
$65.00
CRU Program Totals
59 15
23 21
$6,799.61
CRU Percentages:
25%
39%
36%
RCS Takes Over Homeward Bound Process
2024 Q3 Jul - Sept
4 1
1 2
$10.50
2024 Q4 Oct - Dec
4 0
3 1
$21.00
2024 Totals
8 1
4 3
$31.50
2025 Q1 Jan - Mar
1 1
0 0
$5.25
2025 Q2 April - Jun
2 0
0 2
$10.50
2025 Q3 Jul - Sept
2 0
0 2
$10.50
2025 Q4 Oct - Dec
0 0
0 0
$-
2025 Totals
5 1
0 4
$26.25
RCS Program Totals
13 2
4 7
$57.75
RCS Percentages:
15%
31%
54%
Program Totals
72 17
27 28
$6,857.36
Program Percentages:
24%
38%
39%
Homeward Bound Definitions
Purpose
The purpose of Homeward Bound is to connect individuals with either their family or a resource center that they are already familiar with, and wish to seek some sort of resources or treatment from.
Successful
A "Successful" disposition means that the individual was successfully connected with their family, or arrived to a resource center of their choosing and began treatment or received some sort of care.
Unknown
An "Unknown" disposition means that we were unable to contact the client after they left.
Returned
A "Returned" disposition means that the individual was reunited with family or resources, but has since returned and has had Law Enforcement contact.
Statistical Insights: Homeward Bound
Funding totals starting in 2024 Q3 only include the cost of travel for clients to reach RCS in Ukiah.
End of Statistics
FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
Requests for additional data or research can have a diverse impact on staff resources based on the information requested.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
No environmental impact identified.
STRATEGIC PLAN/COUNCIL PRIORITIES/GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY This research project aligns with City of Fort Bragg Strategic Plan Goal 5A.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The CRU Team has:
Held two public stakeholder meetings in 2025 related to receiving public feedback and suggestions related to the program.
Held two public meetings in the last six months of the Proposition 47 Local Advisory Committee, where public comment and feedback are allowed.
Routinely takes and fulfills information requests from members of the public and both government and non-profit organizations.
Presented this data at the November Public Safety Committee in order to receive feedback from both the public and the Committee.
ALTERNATIVES:
None identified.
ATTACHMENTS:
Grand Jury Report: Homelessness: A County-Wide Issue
Needs Screening Form
NOTIFICATION:
None identified.
AGENDA ITEM NO. XX
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT