KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – On March 28, Kansas City Council approved the city’s $2.3 billion budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The budget includes pay raises for KCPD, $5.5 million for the 2026 FIFA World Cup preparation, $2 million for capital repairs at the American Jazz and Negro League Baseball (NLB) Museums. and $1 million toward the 18th & Vine Streetscape and pedestrian plaza project. In groundbreaking achievement, the budget most notably includes a $1.26 million budget for the city’s first ever pre-arrest diversion program.
REACH–which stands for Responding with Empathetic Alternatives and Community Help–would be the first of its kind for Kansas City. More than a local initiative, REACH is a potential blueprint for cities nationwide grappling with the challenges of public safety and implementing “non-reformist” reforms.
The REACH program marks a monumental shift away from punitive, racist policing and criminalization modules. The funding will help employ pre-arrest diversion strategies that prioritize alternatives to incarceration. By providing individuals with access to mental health, housing, and other life-affirming resources, REACH will have a more empathetic and holistic approach to public safety.
During a budget hearing earlier this year, local organization Decarcerate KC held a rally on the steps of City Hall and provided public testimony inside the chambers advocating for council members to fund the pre-arrest diversion program REACH. In an op-ed written by the local organization, leaders describe the program as an “alternative community response program that would divert people away from arrest and into resources, care, and long-term support.”
“Instead of arrest, the individual in crisis will be connected to appropriate services for behavioral health needs, housing, or other basic needs,” says Mayor Quinton Lucas, “The program allows us to shift responsibility from [policing] to the mental health system.”
“This is the last piece of the puzzle to make this transformative program official,” a leader with Decarcerate KC exclaimed.
Now with the program official and funding secured, the next phase involves implementing the REACH program. The $1.26 million allocated to the pre-arrest diversion program will go towards hiring employees for REACH. The program’s success will hinge on ongoing collaboration among city officials, community groups, and Kansas City residents working together to foster a safer and more equitable community for all.
“This is more than just funding; it’s a promise for a safer Kansas City where people connect to resources and services instead of police and jails.”
Decarcerate KC via instagram.
