TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A social worker is being added to the Terre Haute Police Department.
THPD Announces New Social Work Program
The goal is to reduce repeat calls and welfare checks, by connecting people with help.
The THPD and three other organizations are implementing a new 3-year program to help with mental-health related calls. It's looking to hire a social worker to assist in addressing mental-health related calls.
Chief of the Terre Haute Police Department, Shawn Keen, recognized a huge need missing in the community. That is an opportunity to bring in a social worker to the department.
A huge portion of calls THPD receives is welfare checks. This includes suicides attempts, mental health crises, loitering and overdoses. This new program aims to provide people with the necessary assistance and reduce the number of mental-health-related calls to the police.
"I'm working a district and I get called on the same person for loitering, maybe 3 times a week, I would send an email to the social workers and say 'hey this person, this is the same issues I keep having, could you maybe make contact to see if there's something we can do to help to reduce that call," said Chief Keen.
In addition to supporting the community, the social worker will also assist with the mental health needs of the officers. After learning the success, Bloomington had with this program, that's when the THPD and other organizations got together to make it happen.
The three non-profits in the program are Union Health Foundation, United Way of the Wabash Valley, and the Wabash Valley Community Foundation.
Co-Executive Director of the United Way of the Wabash Valley, Abby Desboro, says the community has changed over the years. This program will help everyone adapt.
"Having a program like this that can provide resources and connect individuals to the help they truly need, instead of just having a police officer come out, you know just to mediate the situation," said Desboro.
Each organization committed to help fund the program for the next three years. Chief Keen hopes this program will have a positive impact.
"Over the next three years, look at the data and see if it supported the goals that we set. If it had, then we can make an argument that this position or this program could be expanded, like Bloomington did where they have three social workers," said Chief Keen.
The Terre Haute Police Department is now accepting applications for the position. They hope to have someone in July.
