"I grew up with people in my family who had mental health and substance use challenges. Honestly, my family and I didn't know the resources, who to call, and where to go," said crisis response clinician Kyatta Harvey.
Harvey said her own childhood trauma led her to the HEART Program. Today, she works as a crisis response mental health clinician and describes the job as deeply personal.
Teams respond to mental health crises, including suicide threats, using different response models. Some include a clinician paired with a police officer, while others pair clinicians with peer support specialists, who are people with lived experience who can better connect with individuals in crisis.
"It's a person with lived experience, be it homelessness, mental health crisis or substance use. Our superpower is the ability to build a connection," said peer support specialist David Prater.
Since its launch, HEART has responded to more than 42,000 calls across Durham. City data shows the program has reduced crime reports by nearly 60% and arrests by 56% while improving response times by more than three minutes.
Officials also say HEART saved Durham police more than 8,000 hours in the last year alone, allowing officers to focus on calls requiring law enforcement presence.
The program operates seven days a week for 15 hours a day with 51 staffers, though demand exceeds capacity.
"We don't operate overnight. There are HEART-eligible calls overnight. We don't get to all the HEART-eligible calls during current hours," said Ryan Smith, director of Durham's Community Safety Department. "The only way that is going to happen is increasing the number of responders we have to cover an entire city."
Smith, HEART's first employee, helped build the program from the ground up. He said early skepticism has shifted as more officers see its impact.
"Every year we've seen growth in the number of calls we're being sent to, and police officers showing up on scene saying, actually, what we need here is HEART," Smith said.
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Crisis response teams travel through Durham in vehicles equipped with basic supplies, meeting residents where they are and connecting them to resources.
Items distributed can include hygiene kits, food, and medical supplies. Pet food is also provided when needed.
Supplies include toothbrushes, bathing wipes, ponchos, bug repellent, Narcan, gauze pads, clean supplies for safer use, and fentanyl test strips.
Officials say HEART's impact has been widespread and continues to grow as demand increases.
"At any given moment, any given day, it could be myself. It could be you," Harvey said.
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