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Urban Alchemy has partnered with the City of Birmingham to launch the Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team (HEART), a new community-based public safety program designed to assist the city’s unhoused residents during non-emergency situations. Previously, police officers responded to these calls, but HEART will now dispatch trained professionals to provide compassionate care and connect individuals to essential resources.
“Food and shelter are human rights,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “Instead of dispatching law enforcement officers to address these basic needs, HEART Birmingham’s team of compassionate, specially-trained professionals will support our unhoused residents and connect them with resources they desperately need and most certainly deserve.”
Urban Alchemy, a California-based nonprofit that operates similar programs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, will manage the HEART initiative in Birmingham. The program, which officially launched on Jan. 6, employs nearly 20 people and will operate from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily.
The HEART team will respond to non-emergency calls made to 911 and 311 that involve unhoused residents in crisis. According to Urban Alchemy, their staff members are trained in de-escalation tactics and have achieved significant success in other cities by helping unhoused individuals find resources and making communities safer for both housed and unhoused residents.
“Our team brings lived experience, empathy, and the ability to read potentially explosive situations,” said Artie Gilbert, the Director of the Birmingham HEART program. “We meet each situation and person where they are, de-escalate, and do our best to connect them to resources that can help transform their lives.”
What sets Urban Alchemy apart is the lived experience of its team members. More than 90 percent of the staff have faced challenges such as long-term incarceration, homelessness, mental illness, or substance addiction. Their personal histories help them approach individuals in crisis with empathy and understanding.
Urban Alchemy’s work in other cities has drawn praise from law enforcement agencies, which appreciate how these programs reduce the burden on officers by handling situations that don’t require police intervention. When situations become violent or require medical assistance, HEART team members will contact emergency services directly.
By shifting the response to non-emergency calls involving the unhoused to the HEART program, Birmingham officials hope to improve the city’s public safety efforts while addressing the root causes of homelessness.
Urban Alchemy’s approach aligns with Mayor Woodfin’s broader vision of addressing homelessness through dignity and care rather than punishment. The program aims to offer solutions that are both humane and effective, benefiting the entire community.
