Do People Support This?

A Safer Cities national survey of 2,414 registered voters found 89% effective ratings and 82% community support for crisis stabilization centers. Support remained at 69% even after voters were reminded of competing budget priorities.

National Polling

A Safer Cities national survey of 2,414 registered voters found that 89% say crisis stabilization centers are “effective” at “making your community safer,” with 7% saying they are not effective, an 82-point margin.

When asked directly whether they would support or oppose creation of a crisis stabilization center in their own community, 82% said they would support it, and only 5% said they would oppose it, a 77-point margin.

Partisan breakdown: 89% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans support creation of centers in their communities.

After hearing opposing arguments. The standard critique of polling is that favorable numbers collapse when people hear counter-arguments. After voters were reminded that “local governments often balance many competing priorities and very tight public safety budgets” and then asked whether local leaders should make crisis stabilization centers a “high priority,” 69% said yes and only 8% said no. After exposure to budget constraints, 80% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans still prioritized these centers.

When forced to choose. When voters were asked how to allocate limited public safety dollars between “specialized care facilities such as crisis stabilization centers” versus “build new jails,” they chose crisis centers by 82% to 9%. Among Republicans, 75% chose crisis centers over jail construction; among Democrats, 89% did.

The Most Persuasive Arguments

The Safer Cities polling tested message performance:

The top-performing argument, with 92% finding it convincing (84-point net positive): “Emergency rooms cannot serve as a backstop for a broken mental health system. Crisis stabilization centers ease the burden on overcrowded emergency rooms that need the space to treat heart attacks, gunshot wounds, and burst appendixes.”

The second-highest-performing argument, with 91% agreement (82-point net positive): “Jails are not ideal locations to provide mental health care. People with mental illness frequently cycle through jail over and over again because their underlying mental illness persists. Crisis stabilization centers break this cycle by addressing acute mental health needs and connecting the person to longer-term care.”

Elected Official Support

Republican and Democratic elected officials have each made documented public investments in crisis stabilization centers.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, invested $90 million statewide, declaring at the Dayton center opening: “What we’re seeing today really does make Montgomery County a leader in the state… if your son or daughter or a family member is in crisis, there is a place for that person to go.”

Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, backed a $58 million investment in crisis centers through “Right Help, Right Now,” with Secretary John Littel explaining the investment ensures “same-day care for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis” and “reducing the burden on law enforcement officers.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a Democrat who won reelection in November 2025, called Fulton County’s center a “game-changer for public safety.”

Travis County, Texas Judge Andy Brown, a Democrat, cited concrete cost comparisons: “In Miami, $4 million a year was saved because people arrested with mental illness were not taken to jail.”

The KCCI editorial board in Des Moines: “Addiction can wreak havoc. And people in crisis today tend to end up in an emergency room or jail. When they need mental health support the most, many times, it’s not there for them. And as a result, the cycle continues.”

The Columbus Dispatch editorial board: “People in a mental health or substance abuse crisis deserve care in a warm, welcoming, safe and appropriate place.”

Law Enforcement Support

Law enforcement support is documented across multiple jurisdictions.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told WABE that his department responded to over 9,000 mental health crisis calls in 2021: “That is not the role of the court… when you look at the limited resources that an Atlanta police officer carries, you see our frustration.”

Clarksville, Tennessee Police Chief Ty Burdine explained that the crisis center “will help streamline the process of connecting individuals to appropriate care while allowing officers to return to other duties more quickly.”

Hawaii’s Dr. Chad Koyanagi emphasized the operational benefit: before the center opened, “a police officer could end up waiting hours with a patient” but now they “can be back to the beat in like five or 10 minutes.”

Fort Collins Police Sergeant Andrew Leslie: “I’m hopeful that we can have a place that’s not just going to give them the immediate crisis care but actually fill the gap.”

In San Angelo, Texas, Steven Garlock of the West Texas Mental Health Center noted that “law enforcement has really started to buy into this, that there’s another route to change.”

Community Support at Opening

Center openings in multiple documented jurisdictions have generated endorsements from local officials.

In Juneau, Assembly member Wade Bryson told the Juneau Empire the center is “sorely needed” given Alaska’s youth suicide rates.

Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts: “It’s literally going to save lives.”

Bernalillo County Commission Chair Barbara Baca, at Albuquerque’s center opening: “the beginning of a new chapter in New Mexico health care.”

What the Support Data Doesn’t Resolve

The Safer Cities polling also identifies limits on aggregate support numbers.

NIMBY opposition at specific siting decisions is the most common political friction, even when general support for the concept is high. The Safer Cities messaging guide documents an anticipated objection: centers “will become a magnet for homeless people and make neighborhoods less safe.” Abstract support for “a crisis center somewhere in our region” does not automatically translate to support for a specific building at a specific address. Fort Collins Police Sergeant Leslie’s documented framing — that mental health crises affect people across demographics, “from someone who just comes into town and is experiencing homelessness all the way to somebody who is a well-established business owner with multiple houses” — addresses the assumption that centers primarily serve a narrow population.

Sustained operational support across budget cycles is harder to maintain than opening-day support. Multiple centers in this review used ARPA construction funding; annual operating budget decisions are separate and not captured in polling on the general concept.

The quality gap between well-resourced and under-resourced centers can produce patient experiences that damage community trust. PBS NewsHour documented Calvin Carbello, a teenager who spent a crisis episode at a Phoenix-area facility in chairs overnight with little treatment — illustrating that system-level investment does not guarantee facility-level quality.

The translation gap between polling and votes: The 82% who would support a crisis center in their community are voters answering a survey question. The Safer Cities polling documents abstract support; it does not measure votes on specific facility budgets or annual operating appropriations.

National Context: Where Crisis Center Support Sits

The 82% to 9% preference for crisis centers over new jail construction — with 75% of Republicans on the crisis-center side — reflects the Safer Cities polling result.

After voters were told explicitly that local governments face competing priorities and tight budgets, 69% still said crisis centers should be a “high priority,” including 63% of Republicans.

Bottom Line

The Safer Cities polling shows 82% general support, 82-to-9 preference over jail construction, and 69% sustained priority even under budget-constraint framing. The documented friction points — siting opposition and quality failures — are not captured in those headline numbers.