The region is mandated by law to provide mobile crisis teams for mental health emergencies by July 1, 2021. Law enforcement leaders have been pushing for the units to help keep those in need from landing in jail.

Only five of the 19 counties in the region have a mobile response unit now. County Social Services sought proposals last fall from mental health care providers to serve other counties but received no offers.

Lincoln is now the program director for Elevate, which received a $4 million federal grant to provide services that fill gaps in mental health care. That grant along with the County Social Services funding would have set up the crisis team and stabilization center.

“We’re very anxious,” Lincoln said. “We’re ready to go. We’ve got the dollars to ramp up.”

But the plan drew opposition from at least one Waterloo-based mental health services provider.

Tom Eachus, executive director of Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center, wrote a letter to County Social Services voicing concerns that Elevate had not consulted with other service providers and would duplicate some existing services.

Eachus also said the per capita payment Elevate was seeking from County Social Services was not offered to other providers when the original request for proposals went out last fall.