JANUARY 2025 - SEPTEMBER 2025

YEAR TO DATE
COMPREHENSIVE
ANNUAL DATA
REPORT
 We are proud to share the Birmingham HEART Annual Report, highlighting the first
eight months—nearly three quarters—of this city’s bold move toward a new
approach to unarmed public safety and compassionate outreach. Operated by
Urban Alchemy, HEART has quickly become a steady presence across Birmingham-
meeting people where they are, offering care without judgment, and helping bridge
gaps that traditional systems often struggle to reach.
Our deepest gratitude goes to the City of Birmingham, the Mayor and City Council,
City Hall leadership, and—above all—the people of Birmingham. Your trust,
partnership, and willingness to embrace a human-centered model of safety have
made this work not only possible, but powerful.
During these first months, HEART prioritized outreach through authentic
engagement. This period represents a defining moment in Birmingham’s
commitment to respond to homelessness with dignity, compassion, and
community connection. We strengthened relationships with local service
providers, walked alongside residents experiencing persistent distress, and showed
up consistently in the spaces—both public and personal—where people needed us
most.
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 Through thousands of interactions, we have deepened our connections with
individuals living outdoors. This early growth reflects the dedication of the
HEART team and the evolution of a model that proves something simple yet
profound: safety can be built through trust, presence, and human connection.
We invite you to explore this report as both a record of what has been
accomplished and a vision of what Birmingham can continue to achieve when
we invest in people first.

Artie Gilbert
Director of Operations, Urban Alchemy / Birmingham HEART

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 S U C C E S S S TO RY

A Young Man’s Journey from Homelessness to Public Service

T h i s i s t h e s t o r y o f a yo u n g m a n w h o, a t 1 8 , wa s f o r c e d t o l e ave h o m e a n d h a s b e e n
ex p e r i e n c i n g h o m e l e s s n e s s eve r s i n c e. D e s p i t e h av i n g n o t h i n g , h e h e l d o n t o o n e g o a l : t o
s e r ve h i s c o m m u n i t y by e n t e r i n g p u b l i c s e r v i c e. W h e n o u r t e a m h e l p e d h i m s e c u r e s h e l t e r
ove r t h e we e ke n d , h e s h a r e d t h a t a i m w i t h u s.

We m e t w i t h h i m t o d i s c u s s f u t u r e o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d m a p p e d o u t w h a t t h a t m i g h t l o o k l i ke.
O u r c a r e c o o r d i n a t o r a t H E A RT wo r ke d c l o s e l y w i t h h i m , c h e c k i n g i n we e k l y t o m a ke s u r e
h e wa s m ov i n g t h r o u g h t h e n e c e s s a r y s t e p s t o wa r d h i s g o a l : p a s s i n g t h e t e s t t o b e c o m e
a n a r my r e c r u i t e r. A f e w we e k s l a t e r, h e exc i t e d l y c a l l e d t o t e l l u s h e h a d g r a d u a t e d . O u r
t e a m f e l t p r o u d a n d i n s p i r e d by h i s r e s i l i e n c e a n d a c c o m p l i s h m e n t .

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 S U C C E S S S TO RY

A Rescue That Came Just in Time

HEART received a service request ticket which involved an elderly woman discovered
beneath the building. Although she was able to walk, she was in an extremely fragile
condition- dehydrated and without access to food or water. Thanks to the swift and
compassionate response of our HEART team, she was rescued just in time. They provided
her with nourishing food and water before transporting her to UAB Medical Center, where
she received the critical care she needed. Their compassion and prompt action likely
made the difference between life and death.

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 ENGAGEMENT TOTALS
*The data in this section is a sum of all tickets created by all sources combined : calls, service requests, and heart initiated

2,696
TOTAL ENGAGEMENTS OUT OF 3,270
TICKETS RECEIVED

*574 OF THE TICKETS ARE AN ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE, CANCELED,

DUPLICATE, OR OUTSIDE OF OUR SCOPE.

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 DATA SUMMARY OF 3,270 TICKETS
FOR PEH (919) TRESPASSING (601)

REASON FOR ENGAGEMENT RESOLVED REASONS

Positive Engagement
Request for Transportation Trespass 4.3%
8.6% 0.4%

Unable to Locate
8.8%

Assist PEH
22.9% Relationship Building
53.6%

Completed
PEH Engagement 25.5%
64.4%

HEART team is required to respond to all public requests for service (reasons for engagement). HEART is diligent about closing all tickets
PAGE 10 - YTD25 (resolved reasons) and ensuring exceptional services navigation and support to people engaged along the way.
 INCIDENT SOURCE BY PRECINCT
HEART CALLS 311 CITY
2500

2124

2000
1454 402 1020 140

1500

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1028
These 4 precincts make up the 9 city council districts 1000

254 500

106
N/A 12
0
*The N /A donut represents tickets that are engagements made over the phone by care coordinators or our operators. TOTAL : 3,270

CALL 311 INCIDENTS HEART INITIATED CITY REQUESTS*

INCIDENTS

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 CALL TYPES & CLOSURE REASONS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our public phone line

Outside of Scope
7.6%

Cancelled
11.9%
Types of Calls
Assist PEH 661
Closure Reasons
Request for Transportation 262 Responded & Referred to EMS
Completed 719
PEH Engagement 50 0.5%
Canceled 122
Well-Being Check 16
Gone on Arrival 94
Mental Health Concern 15
Outside of Scope 78
Loitering 10 Gone on Arrival
9.1% Responded & Referred to EMS 5
Complaint 7
Assisted Another Unit/Agency 4
Trespass 3
Duplicate 3
Suspicious Activity 2
Responded & Referred to BPD 3
Business/Non-PEH Engagement 2
Total 1028
Total 1028
Completed
69.9%

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
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 SERVICES PROVIDED ON CALLS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our public phone line

Social Service Activities

Referred to Outreach Care Coordinator 116
Housing Activities Provided Client with Service Provider
109
Referred to Emergency Shelter 61 Information
Referred to Cooling/Warming Station 27 Provided Water/Coffee 108
Successful Placement into Shelter 12 Provided Meal/Snack 57
Interim Housing- Attained Referral 7 Created a Service Plan 53
Referred to Diversion/Family Reunification Provided Clothing/Blanket/Shoes 42
7
Services Referred to Meal and Pantry Services 8
Referred to Coordinated Housing Assisted with Obtaining Vital Documents 8
7
Assessment Referred to Mobile Hygiene 8
Referred to Shelter Waitlist 4 Followed Up on a Service Plan 6
Obtained Motel/Hotel Voucher 1 Referred to Public Benefits 5
Total 126 Referred to Employment Services 4
Referred to Clothing Closet 4
Provided Hygiene Kit 3
Referred to Public Transportation Assistance 3
Referred to LGBTQ+ Services 1
Total 535

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
PAGE 13 - YTD25 *Each incident requires customized interventions and individuals may receive one or multiple services based on their needs.
 SERVICES PROVIDED ON CALLS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our public phone line

Medical Activities
Referred to Medical Provider 51
Referred to Substance Use Services 21
Referred to Sobering Center 15 Other Activities
Referred to Dental Provider 3 Provided Transportation 453
Referred to Medication Assisted Treatment Created HMIS Profile 3
3
Methadone/Suboxone Needs Assessment Completed 1
Total 93 Total 457

Mental Health Activities

Referred to
51
Behavioral/Mental Health Services
Total 51

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
PAGE 14 - YTD25 *Each incident requires customized interventions and individuals may receive one or multiple services based on their needs.
 SERVICE REQUEST TYPES & CLOSURE REASONS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our front facing form / BHAM 311 App Integration

Outside of Scope
5.8%

Gone on Arrival
35%
Types of Incidents
Assist PEH 43 Closure Reasons
Loitering 31 Completed 63
Complaint 18 Gone on Arrival 42
Well-being Check 8 Outside of Scope 6
Trespass 8 Canceled 3
Suspicious Activity 5 Responded and Referred to BPD 2
Request for Transportation 3 Assisted Another Unit/Agency 1
Mental Health Concern 2 Responded and Referred to EMS/BFRS 1
Total 118 Total 118

Completed
51.7%

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 SERVICES PROVIDED ON SERVICE REQUESTS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our front facing form / BHAM 311 App Integration

Housing Activities
Referred to Emergency Shelter 4
Family/Friend Reunification 1
Total 5

Social Service Activities Mental Health Activities

Provided Water/Coffee 19 Referred to
1
Behavioral/Mental Health Services
Referred to Care Coordinator 17
Total 1
Provided Client with Service Provider
14
Information
Other Activities
Created a Service Plan 8
Provided Meal/Snack 6 Provided Transportation 14

Provided Clothing/Blanket/Shoes 1 Referred to Sanitation 1

Referred to Mobile Hygiene 1 Total 15
Total 66

Medical Activities
Referred to Medical Provider 2
Referred to Substance Use Services 1
Total 3

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
PAGE 16 - YTD25 *Each incident requires customized interventions and individuals may receive one or multiple services based on their needs.
 HEART ENGAGEMENT TYPES & CLOSURE REASONS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our field teams proactively engaging in the community

Positive Engagement
2000 6.4%

Unable to Locate
1672 15.7%

1500

1000

500 452

0 Relationship Building
PEH ENGAGEMENT CC INTERVENTIONS 77.4%

CC
Closure Reasons PEH Engagements Total
Interventions
Engagement Type
Relationship Building 1544 205 1749
PEH Engagement 1672
Unable to Locate 0 226 226
Care Coordinator Interventions 452
Positive Engagement 118 20 138
Total 2124
Referred to EMS/BFRS 7 0 7
De-escalation Intervention 2 1 3
Referred to BPD 1 0 1
Total 1672 452 2124

PAGE 17 - YTD25 *Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
 SERVICES PROVIDED ON HEART ENGAGEMENTS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our field teams proactively engaging in the community

Housing Activities
Medical Activities
Referred to Cooling/Warming Station 94
Referred to Medical Provider 26
Referred to Coordinated Housing Assessment 28
Referred to Substance Use Services 25
Referred to Emergency Shelter 22
Referred to Sobering Center 12
Referred to Diversion/Family Reunification
8 Referred to Medication Assisted Treatment-
Services 3
Methadone/Suboxone
Referred to Shelter Waitlist 6
Referred to EMS/Fire 3
Interim Housing - Attained Referral 6
Provided Narcan 3
Interim Housing - Made Referral 5
Referred to Dental Provider 2
Successful Placement into Shelter 3
Referred to Prenatal Services 2
Family/Friend Reunification 2
Total 76
Completed Coordinated Housing Assessment 1
Total 175

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
PAGE 18 - YTD25 *Each incident requires customized interventions and individuals may receive one or multiple services based on their needs.
 SERVICES PROVIDED ON HEART ENGAGEMENTS
*The data in this section are tickets stemmed from our field teams proactively engaging in the community

Social Service Activities

Provided Water/Coffee 968
Referred to Outreach Care Coordinator 525
Provided Clothing/Shoes/Blanket 379
Provided Meal/Snack 361
Created a Service Plan 296
Other Activities
Provided Client with Service Provider
239 Provided Transportation 328
Information
Followed Up on a Service Plan 120 Created HMIS Profile 27
Assisted with Obtaining Vital Documents 87 Needs Assessment Completed 4
Provided Hygiene Kit 35 Total 359
Referred to Employment Services 19
Mental Health Activities
Referred to Clothing Closet 17
Referred to
Referred to Mobile Hygiene/Shower Program 14 25
Behavioral/Mental Health Services
Referred to Meal and Pantry Services 13
Total 25
Referred to Public Benefits 8
Referred to Domestic Violence Services 7
Referred to SSI/SSDI/SOAR Services 7
Referred to Public Transportation Assistance 4
Provided First Aid Supplies 2
Referred to Legal Aid Services 1
Referred to Youth Services 1
Total 3093

*Tickets are routinely updated and corrected, so annual numbers are not an exact sum of the monthly reports
*Each incident requires customized interventions and individuals may receive one or multiple services based on their needs.
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 YEAR TO DATE SOURCE TOTALS
*The data in this section are the sources of the different ticket types over a span of time

3500
CITIZEN PHONE LINE 311 HEART CITY REQUESTS
500
475
467
3000
437

400 391
2500
350 347 345

284 230
331
300
2000
262 238
213
248 235 3270
200 196 1500
165

24
1000
100 180
188
165
142
122 120
88 94 93
500

0
January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025 July 2025 August 2025 September 2025

0
Total

CITIZEN 311 INCIDENT HEART INITIATED CITY STAFF

1,028 106 2,124 12 REQUESTS
PHONE LINE TOTALS TOTALS

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 GLOSSARY
Care Coordinators assess patient needs, help develop personalized care plans, monitor
CARE COORDINATOR
progress, and adjust as necessary to improve outcomes.

Include but are not limited to: emergency shelter waitlist referrals, referrals to coordinated
HOUSING OUTCOMES & ACTIVITIES
entry housing assessments and other housing referrals

Include but are not limited to: referrals to public benefits, employment, education,
SOCIAL SERVICES OUTCOMES & ACTIVITIES legal, referrals to Outreach Care Coordinators and other services; assistance in
obtaining vital documents; distributions of hygiene kits, clothing, and water

Include but are not limited to: referrals to primary care or dental provider, detox
MEDICAL SERVICES OUTCOMES & ACTIVITIES
center, eye care, or other medical services

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & ACTIVITIES Include but are not limited to: referrals to mental/behavioral health services

Include but are not limited to: Urban Alchemy providing transportation and
OTHER SERVICES & ACTIVITIES
creating HMIS profiles.

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 GLOSSARY
The following outcome categories are designated to specify closure reasons for every incident. A primary outcome is selected
according to defined criteria, ensuring closure for each incident/engagement.

Criteria of the call or request does

Request was canceled by the
CANCELED requester
OUT OF SCOPE not fit the scope of work for HEART
or may be out of the service area

PEH engagements that do not

Request or call was resolved
POSITIVE lead to services being provided or
COMPLETED engagements with business
ENGAGEMENT
owners or non-PEHs

Used to help contain mental health

DE-ESCALATION episodes, to prevent crises from RELATIONSHIP PEH engagements that lead to
occurring, and to interrupt street
INTERVENTION violence or public behavioral BUILDING services
disturbances

Incidents warranting a response from

PEH was gone upon HEART RESPONDED AND the Birmingham Police Department,
GONE ON ARRIVAL field team's arrival REFERRED TO BPD/EMS/BFRS Fire and Rescue Service, or EMS upon
responding to the location

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For more information, please visit us at:
www.urban-alchemy.us