The "Sense of the Council on Supporting Humane and Trauma-Informed Responses to Behavioral Health Crises Resolution of 2025" aims to enhance the District of Columbia's response to behavioral health crises by prioritizing care over criminalization. Introduced by Councilmember Christina Henderson and supported by several other council members, the resolution emphasizes the need for a coordinated response that treats behavioral health emergencies with the same urgency as physical health emergencies. It highlights the inadequacies of the current system, where individuals in crisis often resort to calling 911, leading to police involvement rather than receiving timely assistance from trained behavioral health professionals. The resolution outlines the necessity for improved crisis call operations, mobile response teams, and crisis stabilization options to ensure individuals receive appropriate care.

To address these issues, the resolution urges the Mayor to implement several key actions, including enhancing the training of call operators to better identify behavioral health crises, ensuring rapid response times for mobile crisis teams, and expanding community-based crisis stabilization options. It also calls for a warm handoff policy for crisis helplines and encourages the involvement of individuals with behavioral health disabilities in determining their care. The Council is committed to ensuring that behavioral health crises are met with dignity and expertise, reducing unnecessary police involvement, and fostering a more humane and trauma-informed approach to crisis response in the District.