Straight from the HEART! Empathy and transformation in Magic City.
The best response to a person in crisis is compassion.
In Birmingham, AL, Urban Alchemy’s Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team (HEART) team will assist the city by responding to non-emergency 911 and 311 calls relating to homelessness. Because over 95% of Urban Alchemy Practitioners who are formerly incarcerated and/or have lived experience with, homelessness, mental illness and/or drug addiction, they know how to empathize with people living on the streets. Our Practitioners joined Urban Alchemy because they wanted to offer others the help they needed or wanted themselves. This kindred spirit often allows the team to de-escalate situations and offer resources—instead of the warnings and arrests that can come with law enforcement response.
Urban Alchemy’s goal is to connect unhoused Birminghamians to the resources they need to transition back into permanent housing by meeting them where they are. The team also works to build relationships between housed and unhoused residents and make neighborhoods safer.