A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 20% of all calls to law enforcement involve someone with a mental health crisis. A separate study revealed that during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 and years after, there was an increase of 22% in the number of mental health related calls made to police. The pandemic has caused a spike in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and substance abuse. This has created a growing need for expanded access, education, alternative responses and interventions for those experiencing mental health crises.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769782/
https://crimesciencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40163-021-00157-6
Community-based mental health support can play a crucial role in addressing the mental health challenges that have surfaced due to the pandemic. Community-based institutions, employers and members of the community are well-situated to provide immediate support and assistance to those in need. Recognizing the diversity of residents within the Second Ward, culturally relevant care is crucial. Culturally relevant care will ensure that the mental health support being offered is effective, relevant, and addresses the diverse backgrounds and experiences of community members.
To help address this concern, the City of Grand Rapids seeks a qualified person, organization, or firm (or collaboration thereof) to carry out a Mental Health Community Education and Support Program to provide upstream education, resources and training to organizations and individuals in the 2nd Ward that can strengthen the community’s networks and resilience to mental health crises. The proposer will carry this out by:
- Working closely with existing mental health organizations and service providers to identify the needs of the 2nd Ward community.
- Implementing a general community educational campaign regarding personal and community mental health in the 2nd Ward.
- Implementing community, institutional and individual training program(s) to better prepare individuals and institutions to respond and support those in need of mental health support.
- Developing and implementing any additional evidence-based programs or activities that can be supportive to positive mental health.
Proposers should be able to demonstrate how they can:
- Effectively design and implement community, institutional and individual educational and training programs designed to promote mental health awareness and positive interventions.
- Collaborate and manage relationships with local mental health agencies and first responder departments as appropriate.
- Track and report on preventative interactions and referrals for general mental health needs.
Download a copy of the full Request for Proposal document(DOCX, 48KB)
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