Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative

 

 

The Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative (CCSI) is an innovative, proactive, collaborative community policing program partnering the Houston Police Department with the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA) of Harris County. Together, the agencies work to keep individuals with serious and persistent mental illness from continually going into crisis.

The Mental Health Unit identifies the most chronic and persistent mentally ill consumers the department responds to continually. Two clinicians from MHMRA work with the consumers in an effort to keep them out of crisis.

Since its inception, the program has maintained the following impressive results:

• An overall 47% reduction in the number of encounters with the Houston Police Department.
• An overall 47% reduction in the number of Emergency Detention Orders issued for these encounters.

The following program accomplishments were achieved in 2011:

• The program received a $25,000 grant from the Simmons Foundation. This grant enabled the program to hire a part-time psychiatric technician resulting in the addition of 10 consumers to the program’s caseload and giving the case managers more time to work with their clients.
• The program received the 2010 Community Policing Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
  

  IACP Committee Chair Todd Miller (center) presents Mayor Annise Parker and Chief McClelland with the IACP’s 2010 Community Policing Award for the CCSI Progam.

 In 2012, Houston City Council, impressed with the significant outcomes of the program, voted to increase funding of the program. This increase resulted in expanding from two to four case managers and the hiring of one psychiatric technician. The program has doubled the number of clients in the program.