As budget looms, Community Care is a top priority for Sylva
The Community Care Program began in 2021 at the Sylva Police Department. File photo
With the impending sunset of grants that have sustained the Community Care Program in Sylva Police Department, town officials have made clear that continuing the program will be a top budget priority.
“I want everybody to know right off the bat I’m in favor of us figuring out how to come up with the money to continue that [Community Care] program, and I hope the rest of the board members will feel the same way,” said Mayor Johnny Phillips during a Feb. 27 board meeting. “I think it’s very important that since we are the flagship for that program in this state that we certainly continue having it and even allow it to grow.”
The Community Care Program places a social worker within the Sylva Police Department to serve in the role of community care liaison. Their functions are to follow up with citizens involved in police calls to connect them with community services. This, in turn, allows the police department to better serve people with issues related to substance use, mental health, housing and poverty by connecting them with the local resources that can help, such as Jackson County Department of Social Services, Meridian, HERE of Jackson County, Center for Domestic Peace, Jackson Neighbors in Need and Rolling Start.
The Community Care Program began in October 2021 at the Sylva Police Department. At first the program was piloted through Western Carolina University and for the past three years it has been funded by grants.
Now, it will be up to the town to continue paying for the program.
The next budget work session for the town will take place March 27, after the regular meeting, during which the board will select a new member to fill Mark Jones’ vacated seat. Department heads have already submitted their budgetary needs and administration is working to compile them ahead of the March 27 meeting.
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“I don’t have to tell anybody here; anybody that knows me knows [Community Care is] something that’s close to my heart,” said Police Chief Chris Hatton during the Feb. 27 meeting. “Also, the business side, it’s very important to me too. I will be in a panic if that goes away, I’ll just be honest. Because the police don’t have a plan for this. If you just leave it up to our given authorities, we can’t help you with it. Just homelessness is not against the law, so that’s why this is so important.”
During the last month alone, the Community Care liaison, over the course of 20 working days, was involved in 48 different police calls. Sylva Police Department and its Community Care Program were recently featured on PBS ncIMPACT, and over the next few weeks will be the subject of two video productions by the UNC School of Government to help inform police departments about how to run a Community Care Program.
“I’m getting really good reports about the things that are going on,” said Phillips. “I understand she’s got a good number of people in some homes and few of them jobs and reentering society and getting people on the right track with folks that she is able to help. I’m very proud of the program.”
But while Phillips has said he is in favor of continuing the Community Care Program, he also made clear that he is not in favor of constructing a homeless shelter, something that has not been on the table for the Town of Sylva.
“I’m not in favor of building a homeless shelter and letting the other counties around us come and fill it up for us,” said Phillips. “I think that would undo everything we’ve done. I think we need to continue on the path we’re on trying to help folks get situated the right way.”
In January, HERE of Jackson County went before the Jackson County Commission to request half a million dollars to purchase and renovate a facility that would become Jackson’s first permanent homeless shelter. HERE of Jackson County is the primary homeless services provider in Jackson.
While Phillips said he does not want to see a homeless shelter, he did have another idea for the county.
“I would love to see the town make the recommendation to the county that we ask them to reconsider the temperature threshold when they put people in motels,” said Phillips. “Right now, it’s 32 degrees. My personal feeling is, when I’m standing outside when it’s 37 degrees, it’s just as damn cold as when it’s 32. I’d like to see them reconsider that threshold.”
