Seguin Police Department Mobile Crisis Outreach Team

Project Abstract

Seguin, Texas is the county seat for Guadalupe County.  Seguin, just 50 minutes south of Austin and 20 minutes east of San Antonio, has been a historically rural community.  According to the 2020 United States Census Bureau, Seguin has a population of 29,433 and has experienced a 16.9% growth rate from 2010.  Census data for 2022 shows that 17.9% of Seguin residents under 65 years of age are without health insurance, compared to 8.5% nationally. Median household income is $52,041, over 17% live below the poverty level. For the City of Seguin, the combination of rapid growth layered with historical levels of poverty provide incredible challenges.

The lack of insurance, stigma, and access to service are often cited as major reasons why over 60% of Texans do not receive treatment for their mental health issues. Texas is ranked 41 out of 50 states for providing mental health services according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The Community Assessment for Guadalupe County estimates that 609 people have a diagnosed MI. In 2022, Seguin Police Department (SPD) received 658 mental health crisis calls. When SPD responds, the officer may or may not be trained to assist persons experiencing a mental health crisis.

The City of Seguin Police Department (SPD) will partner with Bluebonnet Trails Community Services (BBT) to join their Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).  BBT is the state authorized mental health provider for Guadalupe County. In order to utilize the services of BBT’s CIT, SPD must have trained Mental Health Peace Officers (MHPOs) available to BBT.  The only local mental health resources available are BBT and paid for by HHSC with state funding.   This grant will fund the position of two MHPOs to work directly with the BBT Crisis Case Manager.  This will allow a mental health professional to be embedded with SPD and access to the BBT CIT. The BBT Crisis Case Manager will be housed with the MHPO.

The amount of federal funding requested is $477,029. SPD has previously received JMHCP funds.  This program will not use subcontractors.

Three Program-Specific Priority areas addressed in the program, 1) promote effective strategies by law enforcement to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with MI/SMISA and to public safety, 2)  CITs have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism, 3) individuals who will benefit from this program reside in underserved, high-poverty areas.