“HART redefines emergency response, putting humanity and understanding at the forefront of public safety. With HART, every crisis is met with care, every person is met with dignity, and every community is met with hope.”
Gracie Israel, Texas Rising North Houston Regional Program Coordinator
Imagine your elderly mother, father, or grandparent with dementia lost and confused in a public place, unsure of where to go or what to do. Now imagine instead of a police officer showing up—someone who might unintentionally make them feel more scared—a team of kind, trained behavioral health professionals arrives. They take the time to talk, to understand, and to help. They make sure your loved one is safe, cared for, and reconnected with family or the support they need.
What about your neighbor who’s acting erratically, caught in the grip of a psychotic episode? Instead of flashing red and blue lights and officers with cuffs, imagine how different this moment could be if a calm, caring behavioral health team approached your neighbor with the appropriate support and resources. They listen, understand, and know how to help without raising tensions. They make sure your neighbor gets the treatment they need, not get a trip to jail.
That’s the difference HART makes—responding to moments of crisis with humanity, turning fear and confusion into care and support.
The Texas Rising Team in Houston has been instrumental in uplifting HART (The Holistic Assistance Response Team), which provides Houstonians with alternatives to traditional law enforcement for non-emergency 911 calls, as part of the Houston Leads coalition. In partnership with Houston Leads, Texas Rising Houston staff and activists are empowering community members to support HART and advocate for its growth.
Read on to learn more about HART, how it has become a model for nationwide policing reform, and how you can support HART and programs like it in your own community.
Origins and Mission of HART
HART was established on March 21, 2022, through a collaboration between Harris County Public Health and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. HART aims to address non-violent emergencies with compassion and expertise. The program deploys interdisciplinary, unarmed first responder teams trained in behavioral health and on-scene medical assistance, directly dispatching them to 911 and non-emergency calls involving issues such as folks experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, or non-emergency health or social welfare concerns, thereby reducing unnecessary law enforcement interventions for non-emergency 911 calls. By reducing reliance on law enforcement interventions for non-urgent cases, HART strives to improve our community’s health and safety while fostering trust and equity in emergency response.
Addressing the Gaps in Traditional Emergency Response
The creation of HART stems from our community’s pressing need to address the limitations of the traditional emergency response system, particularly in managing non-violent crises. Police officers, often the default responders to situations, may lack the specialized training necessary to de-escalate encounters or connect individuals to the appropriate care. This mismatch between the nature of the emergency and the responder’s expertise/education can lead to escalations, resource strain, and unmet community needs. Recognizing these limitations, communities in Houston have increasingly advocated for alternative crisis intervention models that prioritize compassion, care, and appropriate support. HART was designed to bridge this gap, providing a dedicated response system tailored to the needs of vulnerable populations while relieving law enforcement and medical resources from non-urgent situations.
Reimagining Public Safety: A Step Toward Policing Reform
The HART program offers a significant example of how communities across the country can rethink their approach to public safety. This model encourages a broader conversation about public safety reform, highlighting the need for diverse, community-based solutions that prioritize health and well-being over punitive measures. HART represents a profound shift in the national conversation about public safety and policing. It challenges the assumption that armed officers are the default solution to every crisis, offering instead a vision of care-centered intervention that prioritizes humanity over control. This approach invites us to reconsider the role of law enforcement in our society, questioning whether justice can truly flourish in a system that often conflates vulnerability with criminality. Programs like HART acknowledge the complexity of human experiences and seek to address root causes rather than symptoms. As these initiatives gain traction, they could reshape our collective understanding of safety, framing it not as the absence of conflict but as the presence of dignity, support, and community.
Recent Developments: How Can Houstonians Help Out?
On December 10, 2024, the Harris County Commissioners Court voted on Agenda Item #227 on whether or not to move HART to a fully in-house model. The vote passed, marking a significant milestone for the program. This decision is a major win for HART, as operating in-house will provide greater structure and accountability, ensuring the program can better serve the community.
Texas Rising Houston is part of a coalition called Houston Leads, where members were able to testify in Commissioners Court in favor of the agenda item. Testimonies during Commissioners Court sessions play a crucial role in driving policy change. As community members, our voices matter, and sharing our perspectives can make a real difference. Texas Rising Houston offers plenty of opportunities to get involved and ensure that our opinions are heard and help shape the future of our community.
To strengthen HART, local residents can advocate for increased funding, more team deployments, and wider geographic coverage, which would allow the program to serve additional neighborhoods. Public support is essential not only for expanding the program but also for sustaining its effectiveness in the long term. As the program continues to divert calls from law enforcement and connect residents to appropriate services, the vision for the future is one where mental health and social welfare crises are met with the right resources at the right time.
That’s what HART is all about: meeting people in their most vulnerable moments with compassion and care, not judgment or fear. Ultimately, HART provides comprehensive, holistic support by addressing the broader context of a person’s needs rather than focusing solely on the immediate situation.
As Dr. Jonathan Metzl explains in his book Dying of Whiteness, “Police are often called to respond to situations that require mental health professionals, not law enforcement. We need to rethink how we treat mental health crises and create alternatives that are safer and more effective.” The success of the HART program exemplifies this shift, having diverted over 500 calls from law enforcement to date, showing that community-based solutions are not only possible but essential.
