Resources

CADA's Family Renewal Program Goes from Crawling to Walking by Jason Crye, Assistant Director

CADA launched its Mobile Response Team (CMRT) in November 2024 with the goal of addressing Northwest Louisiana’s gaps in mental health and substance use crisis services. Prior to its inception, options were limited for individuals experiencing crisis in our community. The team was tasked with meeting people where they are to deliver voluntary, person-centered therapeutic interventions and connection to community resources. In its first year, CMRT laid a strong foundation for compassionate, community-based crisis response in our region. We have experience under our belt now, so it's time to reflect on the people we’ve served, the relationships we’ve built, and the lessons we’ve learned in the process. In 2025, CMRT responded to over 450 calls involving mental health or substance use-related crises. These calls for service ranged from depression or housing instability to suicidal ideations and at-risk pregnancies. We deployed to homes, motels, shelters, sidewalks, camps, gas stations, and countless other locations, bringing help directly to people in need. When possible, our team reinforced continuity of care by providing telephonic or in-person follow-up to those most in need. We had the privilege of watching clients develop resilience, adhere to self-care routines, and repair relationships with family and friends. Whatever the immediate outcome of each interaction, we planted seeds of hope in every interaction with a person in crisis. Our dedicated team of Peer Support Specialists was behind every response, with support by licensed clinicians and the administrative team. Peers offer lived experience, empathy, and practical knowledge that allows them to quickly build rapport with individuals in crisis and to collaborate with clinical staff in fostering connections to community resources or building tailored safety plans. It was incredibly rewarding to witness the spark in our clients’ eyes when they felt seen, understood, and validated by peers who shared their experiences. That connection allowed our team to reach individuals previously unwilling to seek help. Partnership and collaboration were key in our first year of service. We developed referral pathways with Brentwood Hospital, Physician’s Behavioral Hospital, Louisiana Behavioral Health, and many other agencies to ensure that those experiencing crisis were cared for with dignity, eliminating the uncertainty and isolation often felt when reaching out for help. Ensuring the safety of clients and our staff was a top priority, and our strong relationships with Shreveport and Bossier City Police Departments allowed our team to thrive no matter where we were needed in the community. Through grants from our community partners, CMRT was able to purchase new vehicles, allowing us to respond reliably (and with better fuel efficiency) to every call. This work takes a village, and we appreciate every agency that helped make CMRT a success. Our first year experiences also highlighted the importance of flexibility. Crisis work requires quick thinking, situational awareness, strong communication, and adaptability to environments where anything could happen. Surprisingly, our overnight shifts and weekends consistently held much lower call volumes than weekdays and evenings. It was necessary to adjust scheduling and implement on-call procedures to match these unforeseen fluctuations in call volume. We also integrated the Louisiana Crisis Hub into our workflow, giving us another way to gain insight on the people we serve and the evolving needs of our community. As we begin our second full year in operation, we will continue to cultivate new relationships with community partners and educate people in Northwest Louisiana about the services we offer. We hope to optimize our program and expand further into rural areas, which are a critical focus of crisis work. Besides Caddo and Bossier, CMRT serves Bienville, Claiborne, Red River, Sabine, Natchitoches, De Soto, and Webster Parishes. Help is often hard to come by in these outlying areas, and CMRT is uniquely positioned to address barriers like provider shortages and transportation in rural communities. We will continue to deliver person-centered, compassionate, and impactful care to individuals experiencing crisis. We thank everyone who contributed to a successful, educational year for CMRT! We’ve learned so much and look forward to doing even more in 2026 and beyond.