The Link is helping people, but losing money. What's the long-term plan?

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: Mayor Paul TenHaken told city and county officials Tuesday afternoon that, as his term as mayor comes to an end, it's time to figure out a new governance structure – and, more importantly, a sustainable financial model – for The Link.

Why it matters

  • Nearly four years ago, the city, county and both major hospitals banded together to open a triage center in downtown Sioux Falls aimed at helping folks in active addiction or mental health crises. Since then, more than 3,600 people have found support at The Link rather than heading straight to jail or an emergency room.
  • From a financial standpoint, The Link is funded by its four founding partners: the city, the county, Avera Health and Sanford Health. Up until this past year, that's been an even split, but TenHaken noted that Sanford has "stepped down" their financial contribution.
"I'm not going to go softly into the dark night and let that happen," TenHaken said. "So I'm having conversations with them about that ... but we are really committed to ensuring that we are all equal funding partners in this initiative."
  • Even with equal funding from the founding partners, The Link is still not financially sustainable, TenHaken said. That's why the triage center's board – of which TenHaken is a member – is developing a long-term funding model and looking at more ways to get subject-matter experts leading the organization and not "people like the mayor."

The Link has 13 beds for people to sober up – essentially a replacement of the sobering center that used to be located in the Minnehaha County Jail.

  • Additionally, there are 10 beds for a more intensive withdrawal management program.
  • The Link also provides a crisis stabilization program for people who are in a mental health crisis, and there is post-sexual assault care available in collaboration with the Compass Center.

The Link primarily helps people who are unhoused, though its 24/7 services are available to anyone who needs them. About two-thirds of people who've gone to The Link self-report as being unhoused, according to data shared by Thomas Otten, vice president of Avera Behavioral Health.

Other notable data points include:

  • About half of referrals to The Link come from law enforcement, with another 22% as walk-ins.
  • The number of people sent to jail for intoxication is down to single digits per month.
  • About half of the people surveyed self-reported that without The Link, they wouldn't have sought help in managing their addiction or mental health anywhere else.
  • The Link has helped more than 3,600 people, but the total number of triages is above 13,000, which shows that it often takes folks multiple trips to The Link before they connect with the care they need.

TenHaken shared the example of one man who was helped at The Link 114 times before he willingly sought addiction treatment and found a more stable situation.

"So what does that cost?" TenHaken said. "How do we put a cost on that as a community? What do we wanna spend on that guy? $50,000? $100,000? What does a life cost? And so this is very messy work. ... We are investing a lot of funds and a lot of resources into this facility to treat people who are dealing with addiction."

What happens next?

The work will continue over the next year to develop a long-term financial plan and, as TenHaken noted, a plan to rework The Link's governing board with more subject-matter experts and fewer bureaucrats.

The Link is open 24/7, and no appointments are needed. You can just show up at the door, and the staff will do the rest. The address is 132 N. Dakota Ave., right off of Ninth Street and Dakota Avenue (across the street from City Hall).

You can also call and talk with the nursing staff to discuss a case over the phone at any time at 605-275-1000 (option #1).