In an effort to prevent mentally ill people from living on the streets homeless, Westchester County is joining with the city of Mount Vernon to replicate an award-winning program that has been successful in White Plains and Yonkers, County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced today.

"This program takes a proactive approach," said Astorino. "The idea is to make sure people get the help they need before there is a crisis. This results in safer neighborhoods and fewer altercations with police."

Here's how the program works: A social worker from the county's Department of Community Mental Health will assist Mount Vernon police officers by patrolling these streets with them on foot and in cars. Together they will look for anyone who might be in need of mental health services. By consistently working in the same area, this team is able to get to know people and de-escalate problems before they become violent or turn into a more serious crisis.

This program is part of a new, overall county effort to focus on preventing crises instead of simply responding to them. Westchester County recently received a $1.5 million dollar grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health to establish this more comprehensive crisis prevention and response program following the Westchester Medical Center's decision to close its crisis intervention program.

"This is an example of the specialized services the county is able to provide to municipalities to ensure public safety," said Astorino. "Since the program is fully funded by a grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health, there is no added cost to the county or to Mount Vernon."

Similar county programs have been helping White Plains and the Getty Square area of Yonkers since 2006 and 2009 respectively. In both communities, the number of homeless individuals with mental illness living on the streets has been reduced by connecting people to the right treatment and social services.

The team is made up of two patrol officers and one full-time mental health clinician. Over time, the team gains a better understanding the people in the community particularly those who are homeless and mentally ill. This enables them to assist and respond to calls from residents as well as local merchants and business owners throughout the city.

In addition, police officers will be trained by the Department of Community Mental Health so they can better respond to calls involving individuals with a mental illness and manage such crises at all times, not only when the team is on duty. This training improves their understanding of the public mental health system and improves their ability to assist those in need.