PAD responds to non-emergency quality of life concerns related to mental health, substance use or extreme poverty. This includes:

• Disturbances (such as someone yelling outside a business or blocking traffic)

• Public indecency (such as someone naked or bathing in a public place)

• Welfare (such as someone asking for food or help)

• Mental health (such as someone who appears disoriented, erratic, or is talking to themselves)

• Substance use (such as someone using drugs in public)

• Basic needs (such as someone in need of shelter and sleeping outside)

• Public health (such as someone getting food from a dumpster or using the bathroom in a public place)

Depending on the nature of the request, a PAD Community Response team will respond to requests within 30 minutes; some requests, particularly those in frequently reported locations, may be designated as outreach requests and be addressed by the team within 72 hours. PAD will consider the urgency of the situation, the location, and team availability to prioritize requests.

After a referral to ATL311 is made, a two-person Community Response team will travel to the area and attempt to engage the referred individual. If they consent, we conduct an initial intake interview and begin working with them to identify their immediate needs, whether that’s a warm meal, clean clothes, or transportation to a shelter. People with open and eligible legal cases in the City of Atlanta or Fulton County are provided with long term case management, legal navigation, and housing support.

Community Response teams are not responsible for enforcing the law, and will not detain, coerce, or otherwise compel an individual to take specific actions. Our teams are persistent and creative, but will never transport or engage with an individual who does not consent. Instead, they will attempt to build rapport with each person and identify immediate needs and challenges, in order to support them in reducing harm to themselves and others. Learn more about our approach here.