Chicago’s Mental Health Expansion Working Group
Clients: Chicago Office of The Mayor
Challenge: In September 2023, Chicago City Council passed an ordinance creating the Treatment Not Trauma Working Group (later renamed the Mental Health System Expansion Working Group). The working group was tasked with developing a suggested framework and roadmap for the City to expand mental health clinical services and non-police response for behavioral and mental health crises, while increasing community awareness of available mental health resources. In a statement following the passage, Johnson called the working group a “tremendous step forward in our journey to ensure that all Chicagoans receive the mental health resources and support that they need.”
Action: The Mayor’s Office built a robust working group structure that included significant community consultation and asked Civic Consulting Alliance to provide coaching and thought partnership to develop a comprehensive workplan and project management approach to meet the tight report deadline.
Result: On May 31, 2024, the People’s Vision for Mental and Behavioral Health: Mental Health System Expansion Working Group Report was published. Civic Consulting Alliance helped ensure that the Mayor’s Office was prepared to deliver strong, operationally sound, and implementable recommendations in advance of budget season. The report references the work that Civic Consulting Alliance completed to develop a roadmap to expanding Chicago’s Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE).
