Toronto is planning to launch two pilot projects in the city’s downtown east and northeast ends which will have mental health experts respond to crisis calls instead of the police.
The projects, called the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) was announced by Mayor John Tory at a presser in Scarborough on Tuesday. The pilot projects will accomplish the following, according to a press release from the City of Toronto:
- Feature mobile multidisciplinary teams of trained crisis support specialists (e.g. community health nurses, crisis counsellors, harm reduction workers, peer workers).
- Initially operate 24 hours a day, six days a week, Sunday to Friday and move to a 24 hours a day, seven days a week operation.
- Provide case management support including follow-up support, primary health care, referrals, holistic support, trauma counselling, housing and other individualized supports.
The downtown east project will be launched on March 31, with the northeast project launching shortly after on April 4. The downtown east project will be led by Gerstein Crisis Centre, and the northeast project will be run by TAIBU Community Health Centre. Once the projects are up and running, their services can be accessed by dialling 911.
The City of Toronto has come under fire multiple times for calling on the police to act on social and mental health services in the city. Last summer, Toronto Police Services violently evicted many houseless people from encampments across the city, offering little to no viable solutions to house these people and sparking public outrage. They have also been criticized of their handling of a crisis call regarding Toronto resident Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who tragically fell off her balcony and died in 2020.
Read the city’s press release about the TCCS here.
