Mayor Bass adds 24/7 unarmed crisis team to Sherman Oaks to deal with homeless

Sherman Oaks residents will see use of non-punitive safety strategies to address homeless, loitering and other issues.

In response to an increase of calls for service in the Sherman Oaks community and along the Ventura Boulevard business corridor, Mayor Karen Bass announced on Wednesday, Nov. 1 that she will expand an alternative unarmed response program to address issues in that part of the San Fernando Valley.

The Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) program will be expanding into Sherman Oaks to help respond to calls involving the homeless, loitering, noise disturbances, substance abuse issues and indecent exposure, according to the mayor.

“CIRCLE is a proven program to help Angelenos and I am excited that it will be expanding into Sherman Oaks,” Bass said in a statement.

“We have heard the calls of Sherman Oaks residents and businesses and now with the expansion of CIRCLE, there will be more options and strategies available to respond to calls about unhoused residents or residents needing care through effective community-based non-punitive safety strategies,” she said.

According to the mayor’s office, CIRCLE is a 24/7 unarmed response program that deploys a team of mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience to address non-violent Los Angeles Police Department calls related to unhoused individuals experiencing a crisis.

LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore said the department is “pleased” to see the mayor expand the program into Sherman Oaks and other parts of the city.

“CIRCLE has proven to not only relieve police resources from calls for service involving many quality of life calls, but also provide an avenue to services, including being housed,” Moore said in a statement.

City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who represents the Fourth District, which includes the Sherman Oaks area, and who chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, said that after seeing the success of the CIRCLE team in Hollywood, Los Feliz and several other neighborhoods, she and her colleagues “fought to bring this critical resource” to the south San Fernando Valley.

She added, “With the expansion of the CIRCLE team, our city continues to champion effective unarmed response and proactive outreach.”

When the program began as a pilot in January 2022, it served areas of Hollywood and Venice. Since then, CIRCLE has expanded and operates in Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Venice, and other areas of the San Fernando Valley.

The CIRCLE program operates under the mayor’s Office of Community Safety, which was created by Bass to prevent crime and violence through community-based strategies that affect the social and economic conditions that drive community harm.

The office supports non-punitive safety strategies, including civilian first responders, violence interruption, re-entry services, youth diversion programs and capacity-building programs for non-profit organizations that address community safety.

The CIRCLE program can be accessed by calling the non-emergency police line at 877-275-5273.