With the impending sunset of grants that have sustained the Community Care Program in Sylva Police Department, town officials have made clear that continuing the program will be a top budget priority. 

This year, the Sylva Police Department received a grant from the Dogwood Health Foundation to continue the Community Care Program with a paid, full-time community care liaison position for the next three years. 

Thanks to a set of grants, the Sylva Police Department will be able to continue its Community Care Program with a paid, full-time Community Care Liason.

When Western Carolina University Professors Katie Allen and Cyndy Caravelis approached Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton with a proposal for a Community Care pilot program, using social work interns in the police department he was understandably skeptical. Crisis response involving a student intern seemed like a risk he was not willing to take.