Supporters of a Community Crisis Response charter amendment celebrated its passage Tuesday night at the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio office in German Village even before results came in.
"There are several cities in Ohio that already have this program. And with us being the capital city, I think it's past due. And I think the residents feel that it's past due as well," said Chana Wiley, co-chair of the Columbus Safety Collective Campaign.
Voters agreed. Unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections show 77% of voters supported the community crisis response amendment, which appeared on the ballot as Issue 5. Voters in Delaware and Fairfield counties showed similar support.
The charter amendment had no organized opposition. The amendment passed with Columbus voters in Franklin County by a nearly 4-1 margin with close to 60% of precincts reporting.
The passage of Issue 5 creates a team of clinicians, EMTs and social workers who will respond to emergency calls that do not involve weapons or an intent to harm someone. Wiley said that includes problems like mental health crises, calls about the homeless community and some substance use calls.
"It'd be a mother facing eviction and frigid temperatures and she doesn't have a car or she doesn't have a next place to go, but she has to get out immediately and she's in some sort of crisis. We would go out to that type of call," Wiley said.
Columbus already has a slew of alternative crisis response programs, from placing a social worker from Columbus Public Health in the 911 dispatch center to the Rapid Response Emergency and Addiction Crisis Team (REACT).
The charter amendment puts existing programs under one new division or department and creates an advisory board to oversee their expansion. It mandates funding for community crisis response without outlining an exact figure.
Columbus City Council already puts $6 to $7 million toward programs. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin previously said he expects funding to increase as programs expand.
Wiley said a community crisis response team has been "years in the making."
ACLU of Ohio, Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC), and Ohio Voice founded the Columbus Safety Collective Campaign in 2020. Ever since the advocacy group has been working with the city to build out alternative response programs. The charter amendment assures that the city will, by law, continue those types of programs.
"People have taken their voices to the polls," Wiley said. "We put this in front of voters. This is democracy in action."
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement that the passage of Issue 5 builds on five years of progress and shows that Columbus residents are committed to ensuring that people in crisis receive the right response at the right time.
"This vote shows that our community is ready to build on that progress and go further, faster, and makes clear that when someone calls 911 in their darkest moment, compassionate, appropriate help will be on the way. I’m grateful to voters for helping move this work forward," Ginther said.
