For people experiencing mental health crises in Connecticut, the emergency room is often the only option for stabilization. But a transformed 3-story home in the Edgewood district of New Haven called the REST Center aims to change that.
It’s the first of its kind in the state.
The center has 10 recliners for people to recover, with a few beds for those who need to stay longer. There is no cost to patients.
It’s run by Continuum of Care. Jim Farrales, president and CEO of Continuum, said REST is also a centralized location where the community response team Elm City COMPASS can operate.
“It is staffed by licensed clinicians, nurses, case managers and peers with lived experience who help connect individuals to the resources they need in order to transform those circumstances and move forward on a path of recovery,” Farrales said.
Mayor Justin Elicker (D) visited the center on Wednesday morning. He said the idea for COMPASS was in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
“When COMPASS arrives, maybe they can help someone right on the scene, but oftentimes they can't,” Elicker said. “And people are not appropriate to go to the hospital emergency room. They're not in a place where we want them to go to jail. This spot is a place where people can settle down, have resources, have supervision, and have the support they need to stabilize.”
The city helped cover the cost of purchasing the building. Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is helping to pay for continuing operating costs.
