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Date: 3/28/2023
NORTHAMPTON — Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and the city of Northampton announced last week that Kristen Rhodes will serve as the city’s first director of the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Community Care.
According to a release sent to Reminder Publishing, Rhodes will lead the next phase of the DCC as the city works to implement alternative responses to some public safety calls in Northampton.
The goal of the DCC is to address “racial and social inequities by building equitable, non-police, non-clinical responses for all while centering its most vulnerable community members in their struggles with emotional distress, substance use, houselessness, meeting basic needs, navigating conflicts and other related challenges.”
Background
In July 2020, the city created the Northampton Policing Review Commission, a 15-member resident commission appointed by former Mayor David Narkewicz and the City Council to conduct a public policy review and community conversation around policing and community safety and recommend reforms to the current organizational structure.
In March 2021, the commission submitted a final report titled “Reimagining Safety” with recommendations on how to improve policing services in Northampton to allow for a more equitable structure.
One of these recommendations included implementing a Department of Community Care, which would be a new city agency that responds to calls related to mental health, substance use, social service-related requests and other crisis situations of Northampton residents and visitors as an alternative to traditional police response.
At the end of 2021, the city appointed Sean Donovan as the department’s implementation director, with duties that include developing the department’s organizational structure and staffing, job descriptions, operating policies and training and license requirements, as well as coordinating with other city departments, forming an advisory committee, developing a budget and pursuing state and federal level grants.
Last spring, Sciarra and the City Council approved the newly-consolidated DHHS, which combined the city’s Health Department with the DCC — and named Merridith O’Leary as the DHHS commissioner.
This consolidation fulfilled a recommendation of the Northampton Policing Reviewing Commission that community care is situated under health.
The appointment of Rhodes
“I am excited to welcome Ms. Rhodes to the Division of Community Care,” said Sciarra, in a statement. “I look forward to working with her to execute all of the hard work and careful planning begun by Commissioner O’Leary and former Implementation Director Sean Donovan.”
Rhodes has worked in education and human services for 15 years, where she has developed and managed programs for children and adults.
She has experience in therapeutic crisis management and alternative care models, developing and implementing training and policies around person-centered and trauma-informed practices.
She also has experience collaborating with public sector agencies to provide wraparound support for individuals in the community.
Rhodes received her Master’s of Education from Springfield College and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration on social services from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Her immediate goals include hiring staff, engaging with the community and establishing a community response team by the end of spring.
“I am eager to put my expertise to work for the people of Northampton and to bring this much-needed, innovative service to the community,” said Rhodes in a statement. “I have been inspired by the work of the Northampton Policing Review Commission and the thoughtful input received from stakeholders and community members who are collaborating with the DHHS and DCC. I look forward to building a division that will provide connection, resilience, and support to our community members during difficult moments in their lives.”
The DCC aims to respond to calls related to mental health, substance use, social service-related requests and other crisis situations of Northampton residents and visitors as an alternative to traditional police response.
The hope is to house the DCC in the new Community Resilience Hub at the First Baptist Church location on 298 Main St. once everything is fully-formed.
Among other things, the hub would provide crisis response services and supportive housing, food security, job-seeking and various recovery services while also acting as a broad community space for meetings or other creative endeavors.
O’Leary is expected to introduce Rhodes to the City Council City Services Subcommittee on April 4 and provide updates about the DCC.
“We continue to move deliberately forward in our DCC planning as we fill this critical role with such a capable person,” said O’Leary. “I am confident that Northampton will benefit from Kristen’s years of experience working with community stakeholders that share a common goal of addressing racial and social inequities.”