Chautauqua County legislators recently approved the rental of more space in Jamestown’s City Hall by the Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services.

It’s a good decision.

The move brings the county’s Mobile Crisis Unit as well as its homeless team and family center case management team into City Hall. The Mobile Crisis Unit, a group of behavioral health professionals including a social worker and peer specialist who can provide care and short-term management for people who are experiencing several behavioral /mental health crises, has been located in West Ellicott since 2003. Now, the unit will be located with other county offices in City Hall.

“It will give us a good strategic standpoint for what we’re dealing with on both sides of the aisle when it comes to our behavioral health situations that are arising and also with our growing homeless population,” Carmelo Hernandez, county commissioner of Mental Hygiene Services, said during a recent county legislature committee meeting.

Having the Mobile Crisis Unit based in Jamestown rather than West Ellicott could help communication between the three county agencies with offices in City Hall and, perhaps, lead to faster help for those who need it. One reason we were critical of the proposal – since discarded – to consider moving county offices currently housed in Jamestown to the Chautauqua Mall was because people who need help tend to struggle to travel.

The Mobile Crisis Unit travels to people, which is great. But despite advances in modern communications it’s amazing how much easier it is being able to go down a hallway for a conversation about an issue rather than having to send an email or make a phone call. We hope moving the Mobile Crisis Unit offices to Jamestown makes it easier for collaboration between the county offices and, by extension, makes it easier to help those who need it the most.