Pittsburgh to create Office of Community Health and Safety

Pittsburgh is planning to create an Office of Community Health and Safety that will provide social service experts to deal with problems, including homelessness, suicide prevention and mental illness, now handled by city police.

The Mayor’s Office announced that the city would “redirect city resources” to meet community needs with experts who can assist first responders. Molly Onufer, spokeswoman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said the city has yet to work out 2021 funding details with City Council.

“Our public safety personnel are available 24/7 but often go into situations that are beyond the scope of their training,” Peduto said in a statement. “The individuals and communities they encounter need help beyond law enforcement or emergency medical attention. This office will allow public safety to step back and determine what kind of support an individual or family needs and get them that help through social workers or other agencies so that we’re seeing people holistically and connecting them with more sustainable resources and assistance.”

Peduto has said he supports calls for police reform in wake of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.

The Department of Public Safety and Mayor’s Office would share oversight of the proposed office.

Office goals include developing health and safety priorities based on community input and frequency of calls to public safety; establishing a committee of health advisors to create programs based on best practices; conduct regular training for all public safety personnel; and collaborate with universities to offer training for social work students who can respond to community needs.

The office will initially focus on 17 areas, including racism, violence, mental health, homelessness, suicide prevention and substance abuse.

“This initiative will give the community relations units in all bureaus as well as all police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel the support that is critical to improving not just our high standards of service, but also our relationships with the community,” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement.