Anchor

ANCHOR Program in Ottawa: A Community-Led Alternative to Police Response for Mental Health Crises

ANCHOR (Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response) is a City of Ottawa pilot program that provides a non-police, community-led alternative for responding to mental health and substance use (MHSU) crises and wellness checks.
Launched on August 15, 2024, as a three-year trial project funded by the City of Ottawa, ANCHOR tests safer, more compassionate ways to handle certain non-violent crises that would otherwise involve police. The program was developed from community recommendations following the 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi and shaped by the Ottawa Guiding Council for Mental Health and Addictions’ 2023 report on transforming crisis response

Key Features and How It WorksWhere Is It Available Right Now?

• Pilot Phase (2024 launch): Somerset and Kitchissippi wards (think Centretown and Somerset West—roughly bounded by the Ottawa River to the north, Island Park Drive to the west, and the Rideau Canal to the east).
• Big Expansion Starting June 2026: Thanks to fresh funding in the 2026 city budget, ANCHOR is growing eastward across the Rideau Canal into the ByWard Market, Lowertown, Sandy Hill, Lees, Vanier, and Overbrook neighbourhoods.

Key Features and How It Works

• 24/7 Availability: Services operate every day of the year for Ottawa residents aged 16 and older.
• Community-Based Teams: Trained Crisis Response Teams—made up of professionals and peers with diverse backgrounds, including lived experience in mental health and substance use, as well as representation from racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities—respond in person by vehicle or on foot. They use a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, anti-racist, and equity-centered approach.
• What They Do: Teams assess the situation, de-escalate when needed, provide immediate compassionate support, connect people to resources and services, and offer follow-up through post-crisis response workers. All services are free and confidential.
• How to Access It: In the service area, call 2-1-1 (handled by Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario / 211) instead of 9-1-1 for eligible mental health or substance use crises or wellness checks. 9-1-1 may also dispatch ANCHOR after triage in appropriate cases. The program operates completely separately from police services, though the two may intersect occasionally.

Who It’s For and What It CoversANCHOR is designed for situations such as suicide threats, erratic behaviour, or wellness checks where there is no immediate threat of violence.It is not for public drug use, visible homelessness or camping, or unattended paraphernalia (those should be reported to 3-1-1).

The Partners Making It Happen

• City of Ottawa — funder and overall support
• Centretown Community Health Centre & Somerset West Community Health Centre — lead service delivery with a deeply person-centred approach
• Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario (CNEO/211) — handles calls, triage, and dispatch
• Ottawa Guiding Council for Mental Health and Addictions — helped shape the whole program

Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. People in crisis are getting better outcomes, police involvement in social and mental health calls is dropping, and ANCHOR is quickly becoming a model for other cities to follow. As a pilot, it’s still being evaluated so it can grow even stronger.If you live in Ottawa (or know someone who does), keep this program in mind. The next time someone needs help, there might be a kinder, community-first option ready to step in.
Want the latest details or to check if your neighbourhood is covered? Head to the City of Ottawa website or just call 2-1-1.
Every innovative program has its critics.
While Ottawa’s ANCHOR program has earned glowing reviews for its compassionate, community-first approach to mental health and substance use crises (with over 92% of dispatched calls handled without any police involvement in the first year), it hasn’t escaped scrutiny. Here are the main criticisms that have surfaced from city councillors, budget debates, and expansion planning as of mid-2026.
CRITICISMS1. “It’s great… but it’s too limited in scope”Some city leaders and police-budget advocates argue that ANCHOR only responds to non-violent situations (by design—no immediate threat of harm). Critics, including comments tied to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe during 2026 budget consultations, have downplayed its success by pointing out that it doesn’t handle calls involving a risk of violence.
The pushback? They claim this justifies keeping (or even increasing) police funding for mental health calls, because ANCHOR can’t fully replace armed responders in every scenario. One public comment summed it up: critics used the program’s own safety boundaries to argue it only diverts a small slice of calls, so police still need the big bucks.
In short: Supporters see the narrow scope as smart and safe. Critics see it as proof the program is only a partial solution.2. Political pushback on funding and expansionDuring the 2026 budget process, a motion to redirect more money (from reserves) toward ANCHOR and other social services faced opposition—16 councillors voted against directing additional funds to the program. 
Some viewed it as taking resources away from traditional policing priorities.There were accusations that the mayor’s office and certain councillors “downplayed” ANCHOR’s results during public consultations to protect police budget increases. 
Even though the $700,000 expansion funding ultimately passed, the debate revealed a clear divide: some see ANCHOR as a cost-saving, life-improving alternative; others worry it distracts from “core” public safety spending.
3. Capacity worries: What if no one’s available? (“Level Zero” risk)As ANCHOR scales eastward into busier, more complex neighbourhoods (ByWard Market, Lowertown, Vanier, etc.), city staff and service providers have openly flagged the risk of “level of zero” events—times when no crisis response team is available because all teams are already out on calls. 
 The city memo on expansion specifically mentions analyzing resources to prevent this and adding up to $400,000 to maintain service standards. It’s a pragmatic concern, not a failure, but critics (and cautious councillors) worry that rapid growth could lead to longer wait times or gaps in coverage—especially in high-need areas.

4. Challenges scaling into diverse, higher-risk neighbourhoodsExpansion into Vanier and surrounding areas has sparked targeted concerns. Local leaders have highlighted unique issues there—like the city’s largest Inuit population outside Nunavut and elevated worries around human trafficking. 
The question being asked: Will the current teams (trained and diverse as they are) have the right cultural expertise and capacity to maintain the same positive outcomes in these new communities?
It’s a call for careful rollout, extra supports, and ongoing evaluation.


ANCHOR was built to test a bold idea: that many crises don’t need police. 
The critics are essentially asking, “Is it scaling safely, fairly, and without short-changing other public safety needs?”

The bigger pictureAny  safety failures, poor outcomes, or public backlash?
 Early data remains strong, police involvement is way down, and the program is still in pilot mode with a full business case and evaluations coming in 2026–2027. Most feedback—from residents, service providers, and even some police perspectives—continues to be supportive.