Do you see someone on the street who looks like they need support? Is someone you know experiencing a mental health crisis? Starting this month, you can call someone directly for help.
The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) program recently announced that it has a phone line residents can call in the event of non-violent, non-emergency situations: 510-446-2276. MACRO still has an email address that community members can also use–MACRO@oaklandca.gov–but the program’s leaders say the addition of a phone line is a “milestone.”
“The Fire Department is pushing this number out broadly [through] various communication channels and encourages elected officials and stakeholders to share this update with their constituents for awareness,” Oakland Fire Department Chief Damon Covington wrote in a report to be heard by the City Council’s public safety committee next week.
MACRO was launched in April 2022 to divert calls from the police and fire departments that can be better handled by civilians. This makes MACRO a critical tool in Oakland, where the city’s 911 system has struggled to respond quickly to emergency calls partly because it receives lots of non-emergency requests for service. Until now, the program has relied on 911 dispatchers to divert calls to Oakland Fire Department, which then referred them to MACRO responders. However, this method only diverted a fraction of calls from OPD to MACRO.
The Fire Department, which oversees MACRO, encourages people to call for issues related to homelessness, some behavioral or mental health concerns, noise complaints, or people who are intoxicated in public. In many cases, responders will try to connect a person with social services and provide them with small comforts, like water and blankets.
If you call, a dispatcher will ask some questions to confirm that the situation is appropriate for a MACRO responder. MACRO isn’t the police, so responders won’t be dispatched to emergencies or situations where someone is being violent or carrying a weapon. They also won’t set foot inside of a business or people’s homes, which means most of their work is done on public streets.
If you still want to request MACRO’s assistance via email, make sure your subject line says “Request for Service” and includes the address or location and the type of incident.
For example: “Request for Service at 19th Street and Broadway / Man sleeping on sidewalk.” The body of the email should include a description of the incident and a picture, if possible.
The Fire Department is asking people to call the number directly. Residents should not try to reach MACRO through 911, or through the public service lines 211 or 311.
According to the staff report, MACRO responders are on call seven days a week from about 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. and can cover incidents anywhere in Oakland. Responders are also available at least three days a week between roughly 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The swing shift is expected to expand to seven days a week as new staff are hired and trained. According to the fire department’s report, MACRO has hired 17 new responders this year.
A community advisory board that reviews the MACRO’s work is currently recruiting for new members. The application period is open until April.
