Evaluating San Francisco’s Street Crisis Response Team

In December 2020, a research team from the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and the PRISE Center received funding to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) Program. SCRT is a pilot program to respond to behavioral health crises in public spaces. Instead of a police response–the norm in most communities–mobile teams comprised of a community paramedic, a behavioral health clinician and a peer specialist provide rapid, trauma-informed response to behavioral health crises. SCRT de-escalates these crises in the community, addresses immediate health care and mental health needs, and provides linkages to social services, such as mental health and substance use treatment and housing.

As part of the evaluation, the research team:

• Assessed the impact of the SCRT using an interrupted time series study design and qualitative interviews with recipients of SCRT services.
• Explored whether the outcomes of the SCRT program varied by race and ethnicity to better understand and address any differences in care.