By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni
New Haven Register
NEW HAVEN, Conn. 鈥� Sometimes, all it takes is some Cheez-Its and water bottles for Sarah Alkire and Euphemia White of Elm City COMPASS to build trust with someone experiencing homelessness.
In matching forest green crewnecks embroidered with 鈥淓lm City COMPASS鈥�, they quietly walk around the New Haven Green and introduce themselves to people bundled in sleep packs lying in the shade. Some people don鈥檛 like to be disturbed, so the pair moves on until it find someone who needs help.
Alkire said they don鈥檛 identify as a 鈥渃risis team鈥� when they introduce themselves. Rather, they鈥檙e people who can connect them to housing, food, mental health and substance use services. She explains how the team works with the police and fire departments and if that person ever needs help, they can ask for COMPASS.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a definition of crises,鈥� Alfire said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 whatever the person is confronting.鈥�
Alkire said they don鈥檛 approach a scene with a goal about sending the person to a particular place, and instead listen to the person and address whatever their crisis is.
Elm City COMPASS started in 2022 as a partnership between the Consultation Center at Yale and Continuum of Care, Inc. and was brought on by conversations spurred by the killing of George Floyd in 2020, said Jack Tebes, director of the COMPASS program and a psychiatry professor at Yale University.
The program has expanded multiple times since then. The most recent is the addition of a third shift, which overlaps for five hours with the evening one and runs from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The other shifts are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to midnight.
鈥淲e felt that was more important to have an overlap during some peak periods than to go 24/7, when there aren鈥檛 as many calls at four or five or six in the morning,鈥� Tebes said. 鈥淲e could have done that, but that wasn鈥檛 as good a use of resources.鈥�
Since launching, COMPASS has responded to 1,596 calls for services, according to the most recent data available. Around 60 percent of the calls came from public safety dispatchers, while the rest came from their outreach work. A majority of the calls relate to someone needing housing services.
Tebes said COMPASS relies on the crisis team; collaborations with providers, advocates and faith communities; a strong community advisory board to provide feedback; and constant data collection and evaluations.
The crisis team, comprised of peer-support specialists and a clinician, is typically dispatched by the city鈥檚 fire and police departments during emergencies 鈥� generally responding within 15 minutes鈥� or directly from their community and system partners.
When they arrive at a call, the team is able to split up, so one team member talks with the individual in crisis while the other gets the necessary background from first responders. If it鈥檚 a direct dispatch without first responders, he said the team tries to engage the person in need and works with them, said Yichu Xu , clinical supervisor for COMPASS.
The team can then connect the individuals with whatever services or help they need.
Crisis teams also drive around in a COMPASS-branded minivan and visit places with the highest need, including the New Haven Green and the train station. The teams also routinely stop by area shelters to say hello to residents, conduct follow-ups, and see how they can help
Xu said the team never knows what it鈥檒l walk into on a call or during outreach. A part of the team since its inception, he said that all they carry is a notebook, a police radio, harm reduction supplies and snacks.
Sometimes, misconceptions about how COMPASS works feed into the initial hesitations. Xu said traditional crisis response teams often focus on acute psychiatric emergencies and include a screening process to gauge eligibility or involuntary transport.
COMPASS is able to listen to individuals, understand their situation and recommend potential services. Xu said they can also learn where someone has fallen through the cracks before so they can provide them with support.
The teams can鈥檛 force anyone to accept help, but Xu said they will follow up and be ready if and when they are.
鈥淪ometimes it takes two or three times. It takes 20 times,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really about harm reduction and just meeting them where they鈥檙e at.鈥�
Building trust
When the crisis teams first started, Alkire, a lead clinician, said the COMPASS team had to prove the need was out there and that their work was beneficial. It took time, but the community is starting to trust them as the teams understand the community鈥檚 unique needs and help address some immediately.
During outreach, Alkire said they often encounter people who lose their phones, which can be a barrier to connecting with different services. COMPASS can act as a consistent contact point between them and potential resources. The team carries a laptop in the van where they can take down a person鈥檚 name and date of birth and check their housing status or eligibility right there.
Other times, people want a listening ear, Alkire said.
鈥淭hey just want to be heard and I think what鈥檚 been really helpful is that we have the ability to just sit and talk with people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat one-to-one is super helpful, and I feel like that wasn鈥檛 able to happen before.鈥�
Williams Hughes Sn., 66, of New Haven, said Alkire saved his life with a hamburger. He said he had been experiencing homelessness for two years and felt suicidal when he met Alkire.
The officers called COMPASS when responding to the call for Hughes鈥� and a housing issue.
Hughes said he鈥檚 struggled to find housing because of a 1988 conviction that resulted in 25 years in prison. He said his time in prison and the transition back into the community are the causes of his depression.
鈥淚 went in at 30 and I got out at 55 to a new world,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I had to adjust to that and I don鈥檛 know if I fully adjusted.鈥�
Alkire and the rest of the COMPASS team took Hughes to a nearby McDonald鈥檚 to get him a burger. He said they found him temporary shelter at an overflow, before moving him to the Foxon Boulevard shelter, which used to be a motel.
Since moving in, Hughes said the Continuum has worked to help him find an apartment. Having his own space has been great in the meantime.
鈥淗ere is better than any homeless place possible,鈥� he said.
Growing and collaborating
Xu noticed that more people are recognizing them by their uniforms. He credits that to the community advisory board and the system partnerships, which have spread the word about COMPASS.
COMPASS has met with various providers, advocates, faith leaders and businesses to help create an outreach support network, Xu said. The people they help often overlap, so the goal of the collaborations is to brainstorm new strategies while also streamlining access to services.
Xu said one emerging partnership has been with the parking authority and the state Department of Transportation. The city has noticed a rise in activity around the train station, so the entities are working together to perform coordinated outreach and help more people.
COMPASS also developed relationships with the local coordinated access network to put the people they meet directly on shelter waitlists and bypass the typical procedures, Xu said. Then, in the future, the teams can act as contact points to check in on the status and let them know when a bed is available.
Meanwhile, Tebes said the community advisory board is spreading the word about COMPASS in their own networks. The board is made up of New Haven residents who meet regularly to provide continuous feedback and identify potential gaps in the system. They also help analyze the data collected to determine the next steps.
Continuum also expanded its services to meet the gaps in care, specifically in relation to emergency housing. This includes opening the Foxon Boulevard shelter.
They also opened the Rapid Evaluation, Stabilization and Treatment Center, better known as REST, to serve as emergency beds and as COMPASS鈥檚 main headquarters. The center can accommodate up to 10 individuals in lounger chairs for about 23 hours. Six beds are also available for individuals who need more than a day while they wait for placement in a longer-term facility.
Although clients can only stay for a short time, Alkire said having the REST Center has helped their work immensely. Having a place to bring people to during a crisis has allowed COMPASS teams to serve people better and efficiently connect them to services if they are interested.
She said people come through the REST center to nap, sleep for the night, do laundry or get something to eat. Some individuals don鈥檛 even spend the night; they just need a place to relax for a while. It鈥檚 already making a difference.
鈥淛ust doing laundry goes a long way,鈥� Alkire said.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, call 211 to connect with your local CAN network for housing and 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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