San Francisco's Street Crisis Response Team helping those suffering from mental health crises, drug abuse

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Street Crisis Response Team works some of the city's toughest neighborhoods to help those who may be suffering from a drug problem or mental health crisis.

Every time he steps into a Street Crisis Response Team van, peer counselor Omar Breedlove moves further away from his past.

"I'm a former substance user, formerly homeless and formerly had mental health challenges," Breedlove told CBS News Bay Area. Today, he's a peer counselor for RAMS, Richmond Area Multi-Services Inc., and works to help others who are in crisis like he once was.

"I was able to turn my life around and try and transform through that, and now bring my own experience to help others," Breedlove explained.

He's been clean since 2016 but rather than leave his experience behind, he's using it today as his greatest asset.

"I run across people all the time that I used to associate with during my experience when I was homeless or when I was using cell phones and things such as that and now I see those people and I'm in a different capacity, and I'm a source of motivation and hope for them," said Breedlove.

On each call the Street Crisis Response Team receives, a handful of experts respond including a peer counselor like Breedlove who has first-hand experience with some of the more common issues the team encounters like homelessness or substance abuse.

Members of the Homeless Outreach Team and paramedics fill the van, responding to dozens of calls each day.

Since their inception in 2021, the team has responded to nearly 20,000 calls, according to their latest reporting. Almost 60% of the calls are resolved on the spot.

Some of the responders dress in plain clothes to offer a less-triggering response than a uniformed responder may. It's part of a unique approach the city is taking in their effort to curb the city's drug and housing crisis.

"If somebody is hungry and had eaten for three days, a pair can like understand, like, what that feels like and what it feels like to be able to receive some food," said Breedlove.

The unarmed team travels with snacks, water, spare shoes, and clothing, blankets and medical supplies including Narcan that are most needed on calls. Their goal is simple: to connect people with the services they need.

"In a city like San Francisco, where we really do value people's expression and freedom and individuality," SFFD Captain Mary Meraw told CBS News Bay Area. "At some point, I feel like I personally feel like there has to be some other way for us to help people and encourage people to feel safe."

Meraw has been a paramedic in San Francisco for nearly three decades, and on the street crisis team her most valuable tool is treating people like an old friend.

"Just human to human," she explained. "It's not approaching a person as a set of symptoms but approaching them as maybe somebody I grew up with, or somebody that is a neighbor like it really sounds kind of cheesy but just trying to be really basic. My name is Mary, what's your name?"

That's often all it takes to deescalate a situation, Breedlove says, compassion.

"I wish this stuff was here when I was going through my ordeal but you know, I'm just grateful," he continued. "The promotion of humanity, right, promoting humanity, moving humanity forward right because without love there wouldn't be any compassion."

Looking back on his days in the shoes of those he now helps, he knows he's making a difference.