Leather chairs, soothing room: An alternative to jail in Lake County
Lake County sheriff's deputies now have the option to bring people they encounter who need mental health care to a special crisis intervention center in Waukegan.
In doing so, local leaders hope the expanded program will help safely reduce the county jail population.
At the Living Room Wellness Center, 1730 Washington St., those in crisis are offered free intervention, peer counseling and safety and crisis planning, as well as basic needs such as healthy food, clean showers and transportation, according to the sheriff's office.
The center has operated since August 2020, but starting last week, its services are available 24 hours a day, and for sheriff's deputies to bring in people with mental health needs.
It's not an alternate to jail for people who commit serious crimes, officials say. But if a person has committed a low-level crime, such as loitering or disorderly conduct, and there is no victim, a deputy would have the discretion to decide whether arrest and bring that person to jail or offer a ride to the wellness center, sheriff's Lt. Christopher Covelli said.
If it is a low-level crime with a victim and it's clear the offender is in a mental crisis, a deputy could choose to bring that person to the center, but only if the victim agrees, Covelli said.
Rather than a jail cell, those receiving help at the center are afforded black leather chairs in a comfortable, soothing environment. They can leave at any point and there is no limit on the number of times they can visit.
Anthony Vega, the sheriff's office chief of staff, said on average 40% of inmates at Lake County jail are on some kind of psychotropic medication. County officials hope that over time, that number will go down if more residents get the mental health care they need.
"Jails are intended to be a place for violent pretrial detainees, not for those living with mental illness," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said. "This is an exciting first step toward providing proper care and placement for our Lake County residents who are in need of proper resources."
The center is run by the Waukegan-based nonprofit Independence Center, and the program is partly funded by grants from the sheriff's office and the Lake County state's attorney's office.
Since it opened, the Living Room Wellness Center has helped more than 300 people who had increased mental illness symptoms or were near a crisis, said Judith Shaffer, the Independence Center board president.
Covelli said deputies can't force someone to go to the wellness center, but only encourage it. If someone refuses, deputies will be able to refer that person to the sheriff's office Crisis Outreach and Support Team. The team, referred to as COAST, is a partnership between the sheriff's office and the Lake County Health Department that meets with residents in need and tries to connect them to help.
COAST members have interacted with 1,634 residents living with mental symptoms since January 2019, Covelli said, and will now also work to refer and transport people in need to the Living Room Wellness Center.
Officials hope to expand the program in the future and allow officers from other police departments to bring residents in need to the center, Covelli said.