Innovative COMBAT Referral Program May Be The First Of Its Kind In The Nation

“Assistance is available to you, and we want you to get the help that can improve your circumstances. Things don’t have to get worse before they get better.” – COMBAT STRIVIN’ Referral Brochure

Literally At Their Fingertips

COMBAT is working to make it much easier for police officers—as well as school officials and others—to help individuals and families receive life-changing, potentially even life-saving assistance.

Through the new COMBAT Social Services Referral program officers can make one referral to just one agency, no matter what issues might be causing a person or family distress. That one agency, COMBAT's primary community partner in the neighborhood, does all the follow-up work: contacting the person/family referred, conducting a needs assessment, then passing along the referral to a network of community organizations that can provide the specifc assistance required.

Program Started In Raytown & Now Expanding

The referral program was launched this summer in Raytown. It was expanded last month to include Northeast Kansas City.

“All there is to it is checking a couple of boxes and hitting SUBMIT,” says Raytown Police Chief Bob Kuehl. “Filling out the referral form is simple on your phone and can be done anywhere, anytime.

“A lot of police departments are trying to utilize social workers more, but the 9-1-1 calls keep coming in,” he continues. “It’s not easy to have those in-depth conversations later with a social worker about what’s happening with this family over here or this family over there. With this system, we can make a referral on the spot.”

Sisters In Christ processes the referrals in Raytown, serving as the portal to a whole host of other agencies providing services ranging from housing assistance to mental health care.

53 Raytown Referrals in 5 Months

From July 1 through November 30, Raytown police officers and school officials used the program to make 53 referrals. COMBAT and its partner Community Care Link developed the online app to allow referrals to be made immediately, often while officers are still on the scene while responding to a 9-1-1 call.

“Those referrals represent real people with real problems,” states COMBAT Director Vince Ortega, “in some cases, problems so severe that the police were called to their homes. This system allows the police to do more than just deal with what is happening in that moment. It alllows the police to also give people an opportunity to get assistance, so hopefully the police won’t have to come back later.”

First Of Its Kind In The Nation?

Chief Kuehl believes the COMBAT Social Services Referral Portal is the first system of its kind in the nation: “I searched and couldn’t find anywhere else in the country where a system like this was being used. We needed a bridge between the officers on the scene and the resources in the community available to help people out. There was a gap. This system provides that bridge and closes the gap.

» 'GREAT IDEA' PUT INTO ACTION

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