Laguna Beach Independent
Laguna Beach residents may notice a blue van driving along its streets with “Hope Happens Here” boldly written along its side. Within its doors, they will find a team of counselors from Be Well OC, an organization providing crucial mental health services throughout the city.
The city of Laguna Beach has officially renewed its contract with Be Well OC through at least June 2, allowing the organization to operate its Mobile Crisis Response Team throughout the city, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and provides mobile mental health services to those in need wherever they are.
Through this contract renewal, the city is extending a partnership that provides community-based care to people where they are in. Since its first contract was approved in April 2023, the Be Well’s Laguna Beach team has completed over 7,500 services and supported 1,170 unique clients.
“It’s a great partnership and a great collaboration with police, the EMS services in Laguna Beach as well the park rangers,” Executive Director of Mobile Operations Jeff Tennen said.
Through this partnership and the Be Well OC’s extensive experience and understanding of those who need mental health services, 71% of all mobile service encounters last year were resolved without additional emergency personnel such as police or fire department response. In June 2025 alone, the Be Well’s Laguna Beach team served 337 services, a majority of which were welfare checks.
“The police want to help desperately,” Tennen said. “They want to be a part of the solution, but they're not always the best solution in all cases for a variety of reasons. People in uniform, they have firearms, they have guns. When we get called and we collaborate with them, they are very excited and happy to have us there. We wear our blue Be Well shirts, and there’s a sort of relief when they realize they can hand over (the situation) if it's a safe environment. They can go protect and serve the community.”
Receiving services from Be Well OC does not require individuals to take any additional steps beyond what they typically would in an emergency — call the appropriate non-emergency line or 911. From there, dispatchers will determine whether it is appropriate and best for the Be Well OC Mobile Crisis Response team to deploy for assistance.
A mobile crisis unit is comprised of two counselors, each trained and skilled in de-escalation, crisis stabilization services, counseling and mediation. It is their responsibility to address both the emotional and social well-being of the client.
From there, the Be Well OC Mobile Crisis Response Team has a few options. Be Well OC has a medical campus in the city of Orange, where the organization offers residential and outpatient mental health services. For those who are in need, it will transport individuals there or to other facilities throughout Orange County.
“We assess, triage, stabilize,” Tennen said. “Then, we can provide information to the clients. We can refer them to follow-up care. We can transport them if we assess that they need to go to a stabilization unit for mental health crisis… we don't just end with that event. If we do a transport, or even if we just talk to someone on the street and provide them information, we can do follow up services and case management so that we can help that person, that client, through that continuum of care, through mental health or substance abuse.”
Tennen leads the Be Well OC Mobile Response Team, who provides support with several non-emergency situations including mental health, intoxication welfare checks, homelessness — in conjunction with local task forces — behavioral crisis and public assistance. A retired Marine Corps Officer with 20 years of experience in mission-critical challenges, Tennen joined Be Well OC as its executive director of mobile operations in February.
For Tennen, providing these mental health services to Laguna Beach is personal. He lives near the city’s border within Mission Viejo, and his students attended Laguna Beach Unified School District Schools and played in the city’s little league program. He takes pride in supporting the city he calls home.
“A big part of the pride that our team has is just helping the small community, just trying to learn how to adapt to the changing circumstances with the unhoused population in Laguna Beach, especially in the summer months,” Tennen said.
When the city first began its relationship with Be Well OC, it was a two-year pilot program.
“Mental health is an issue of utmost importance, and we, as a community, must ensure that support and resources are readily available to those in need,” then-mayor and now councilmember Bob Whalen said in a letter. “With the launch of the Be Well OC mobile mental health services, we are taking a significant step forward in addressing this critical area of well-being in the city of Laguna Beach.”
At that time, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris secured $1.5 million in state funding, providing the city with the funding it largely needed for the pilot program. Similarly, the new contract is funded through several different sources, including state funding securing additional funding and private donations.
“We are able to do what we do every day of the year, including holidays,” Tennen said. “It doesn't matter. We're working build a sustainable model so that we can extend the contract past next July.”
Learn more about Be Well OC at bewelloc.org.