The Fayetteville City Council received its first report from the Office of Community Safety (OCS), a department established in 2024 to provide non-enforcement responses to crises ranging from mental health emergencies to sudden loss of shelter.
Modeled after similar programs in Durham and Greensboro, the office aims to shift some of the burden of emergency assistance away from law enforcement and toward professionals trained in social work, behavioral health, and community engagement.
The city allocated $2.3 million to the OCS for the 2025 fiscal year.
Building a Collaborative Safety Model
OCS Director John Jones presented the report, introducing his team: a program manager, a behavioral health lead, a community engagement lead, and a rapid response lead.
“Doing violence prevention work, community work, you need that specific internal passion or drive to push through. And my team has all of that,” Jones told council members.
The office is structured around four strategic pillars:
- Community-based violence prevention
- Homelessness response
- Youth initiatives
- Mental health response and diversion
Youth and Community Engagement
Since its launch, OCS has conducted 59 community engagement events across priority neighborhoods, often meeting residents outside traditional business hours.
Among its most visible programs were three Youth Night Out events, which drew more than 150 young people for activities ranging from basketball and gaming to financial literacy workshops and restorative justice circles. Transportation, wellness resources, and resume-building sessions were provided.
“We as a department in the city of Fayetteville provided safe spaces for young people to come and be there with no expectation for them, just to come and show up and be present,” Jones said.
The office also awarded 20 Community Safety Micro-Grants, investing $84,500 in neighborhood-led safety initiatives.
Behavioral Health and Homelessness Response
Between July and September, OCS responded to 214 behavioral health and homelessness-related calls, coordinating resources through both community referrals and direct collaboration with police and fire departments. The office made 52 referrals to behavioral health partners and conducted 84 on-site outreach visits to connect residents with immediate services.
Jones emphasized the proactive approach: “Instead of just getting a call and suggesting a resource to coordinate, my team went out to go meet them where they were and identify the best resource to coordinate in that time.”
Interagency Collaboration
The office has become a consistent partner in regional initiatives, including:
- Alliance Health’s Monthly Crisis Collaborative to address data-sharing barriers and crisis workflows
- Cumberland County Public Health’s Sequential Intercept Task Force to align diversion strategies
- Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) bi-weekly meetings to ensure behavioral health clients receive care
- Development of a Crisis Intervention Standard Operating Procedure, with special focus on veterans experiencing suicidal ideation and firearm access
Jones highlighted case examples where OCS coordinated across agencies: supporting an elderly resident facing cognitive decline and financial exploitation, mediating neighborhood conflict for a senior experiencing paranoia, and securing shelter and long-term housing for a young mother with two children.
Partnership with PROOVE Project
OCS also partnered with the PROOVE Project, a local nonprofit focused on violence prevention and outreach. Together, they hosted 13 community events engaging more than 600 residents, distributed backpacks and scholarships, and relaunched Youth Night Out in September with participation from 30-plus youth and families. Their intervention work included 11 conflicts identified, 3 conflicts interrupted, and 8 referrals made.
Looking Ahead
Jones outlined priorities for the coming months, including:
- Community-facing meeting on Nov. 20
- Unified rapid response protocol for safety incidents
- 911 call analysis to improve mental health response
- Safe space activations for community-led healing
- Behavioral Health Summit in spring 2026
- Office communication plan for consistent messaging
- Expanded youth initiatives
- Comprehensive violence intervention strategy
“Our team is very determined to identify ways to support our community members,” Jones said.
He emphasized the office’s vision for Safe Space initiatives across Fayetteville. Jones explained that these could take many forms — from a youth night out to a neighborhood cookout — with the goal of creating welcoming places where residents can gather. He emphasized that such initiatives don’t have to be isolated events; they can multiply across the city, building a network of safe, positive spaces.
“When you activate spaces,” Jones said, “you see crime decrease.”
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com.
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