I grew up in Palo Alto and graduated from Gunn High School in 2008. When I was 15, I was accepted into the Palo Alto Police Department’s first student police academy and then became police explorer upon graduation. Over the next 6 years I volunteered with the Palo Alto police department in a many capacities. Through hundreds of hours of riding along with the police I got a deep understanding of law enforcement infrastructure. I saw numerous people challenged by homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse who were caught in the revolving door of the criminal justice/emergency medical system. A year after aging out of the explorers program I lost a former high school friend to suicide.
When I was 23 I did a ride along with ‘CAHOOTS,’ (crisis assistance helping out on the streets) an organization that does civilian crisis response in Eugene, OR. CAHOOTS provides special care to people who are stuck in the revolving door and through its intervention, break the cycle. CAHOOTS provides alternatives to incarceration and hospitalization for people with wellness issues. This ride along catalyzed me and my buddy Doug creating ‘Concrn’ a company that builds mobile apps and software to assist compassionate response communications infrastructure.
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color:#414141’>We are now a compassionate social service network that connects people in need to responders trained in crisis de-escalation. We offer an alternative to 911 for non-violent crises and respond using the harm reduction model. Concerned citizens can download our mobile app on iPhone or Android or call us directly to access our services. We make it easy for both witnesses and victims of nonviolent crises to create a report and directly dispatch our network.
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color:#414141’>We believe that this “Compassionate Response” model is more humane, harm-reducing, and cost-effective than a law enforcement approach to non-violent crises. Our coordinated teams of responders help connect individuals challenged by homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse, to the resources they need. These resources include local mental health, physical health, and shelter services. In addition, our ongoing case management program encourages clients to maintain their connection to these support services by promoting clients’ sense of self-worth through alternative methods like art and music collaboration.