Publications

HEART’s four teams of practitioners and supervisors operate citywide, assisting nearly 300 people every week. In its inaugural year, the program has helped thousands with connections to shelter, public benefits, and medical and behavioral health resources. HEART responded to over 80% of calls to 311 or 911 involving unhoused individuals, including calls about blocked sidewalks.

”I’ve got a place to live and I’m thankful for Urban Alchemy for all the things they’ve done for everybody, for me, my friends Patrick and James. They said they would get us into a place, and they did,” said King.

Lee said that in addition to providing food, water and Narcan and assisting EMS, Urban Alchemy staffers created flyers and distributed them in the area to educate people on the dangers of fentanyl and on how to use Narcan.

El programa CIRCLE fue creado por la organización no lucrativa Urban Alchemy, y trabaja en colaboración con el Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles (LAPD) y la alcaldesa Karen Bass para abordar los incidentes no violentos y apoyar a las personas que viven una crisis. (The CIRCLE program was created by the nonprofit Urban Alchemy, and works collaboratively with the…

Urban Alchemy has similar outreach programs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Kirkpatrick Tyler, who directs community and government affairs at Urban Alchemy, described HEART as a ‘community-based public safety response’ and an ‘alternative to policing.’

Posted on many a street corner in the beleaguered Tenderloin neighborhood are Urban Alchemy’s neon-green-vested ambassadors, mostly formerly incarcerated men who try to calm downtown streets. The novel idea began as a vision of Urban Alchemy co-founder Lena Miller, and while the group remains controversial, it’s also one of San Francisco’s fastest growing nonprofits.

The idea is to divert some 911 calls from police to civilians. There are similar programs in cities around the country, but what’s different about the LA version is that workers here only take 911 calls that involve unhoused people.

61-year-old Vicky is now living at the Clinton Triangle Temporary Alternative Shelter site.

As April unfolds, Goettl continues its mission of kindness by supporting Urban Alchemy, a transformative force in the fight against homelessness. Through their donation, Goettl is helping Urban Alchemy to ignite hope and provide essential support to individuals striving to rebuild their lives, embodying the spirit of empathy and community.

Inside the Downtown Austin Alliance office, the community’s vision for downtown, written and drawn on wooden blocks, serves as wallpaper. Stewarding that vision is the organization’s ongoing goal. Most recently, DAA has partnered with Urban Alchemy, the California-based nonprofit that runs the ARCH and 8th St. shelter, to launch a pilot program addressing homelessness issues downtown.

This site, operated by Urban Alchemy, offers 60 temporary shelter beds, with mental and behavioral health services in Southeast Portland.

The Downtown Austin Alliance will launch the Homelessness Engagement Assistance Response Team, or HEART program, from Feb. 1 through July 31. The DAA will be managing the program alongside nonprofit Urban Alchemy, which runs the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless and the Eighth Street shelter for women and transgender clients.