Every day, people in our community who are navigating mental health crises find themselves at risk of engaging with law enforcement. Here’s what we know: 60 to 80 percent of people incarcerated at the Fulton County Jail are experiencing a mental health concern; Half of all people killed by police have a disability, and many of these deaths occur during a mental health crisis. The current system needs to change. We want crisis services that are recovery-based and respect each person’s autonomy, with as little police involvement as possible.

There is growing interest among City of Atlanta and Fulton County officials to create new options for mental health crisis services. We believe community members who have experience navigating these systems need to inform and shape what our local resources look like if they are going to be successful. That is why we are organizing a community engagement effort to help ensure directly impacted people, crisis care workers, and community members have a voice in the development of mental health crisis services here in Metro Atlanta.