Cleveland City Councilwomen Selected to Join National Community Responder Program Cohort

May 14, 2025

Cleveland City Councilwomen Rebecca Maurer and Stephanie Howse-Jones have been selected to join the Community Responder Cohort, a national initiative led by Local Progress, a network of elected officials working to advance racial and economic justice. As part of the program, the councilwomen will travel to Pittsburgh, PA, from May 15–17 for a hands-on training experience focused on community-based public safety models.

The Community Responder Cohort is designed to support local leaders in developing and expanding alternative emergency response systems, especially for individuals in mental or behavioral health crises. The cohort promotes models that center care and compassion rather than traditional law enforcement approaches. During the Pittsburgh visit, participants will tour Allegheny County Emergency Services, which has implemented similar community response programs with promising results.

Local Progress, founded in 2012, includes a broad coalition of local officials from across the country, including mayors, district attorneys, city council members, and school board leaders, who are committed to building a multiracial democracy grounded in equity and justice. The network is proudly member-led and continues to grow across urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Councilwomen Howse-Jones and Maurer have already taken steps to advance alternative response models in Cleveland. In November 2024, they introduced Tanisha’s Law alongside Councilman Charles Slife, a proposal that would formalize co-response and care-response systems in the city. The law aims to allow behavioral health professionals and trained community practitioners to respond to non-violent emergency calls related to mental and behavioral health.

Through the Community Responder Cohort, the councilwomen will also participate in a second immersion trip to Chicago, IL, along with a series of digital learning sessions that bring together local government leaders nationwide. These experiences will provide valuable insights into building systems that help residents feel safe, supported, and connected to their needed resources.

Their participation underscores Cleveland’s commitment to reshaping public safety and creating a more responsive, equitable emergency response system rooted in care.