Home / Health / ANCHOR Program Grows to Aid More Mental Health Calls
ANCHOR Program Grows to Aid More Mental Health Calls
12 Mar
Summary
- The ANCHOR team responds to mental health and drug crises.
- The program will expand to new areas by this summer.
- The expansion is supported by $1.1 million in city funding.
The Alternative Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) team, initiated in 2024 to address mental health and substance abuse crises in central Ottawa, is undergoing a significant expansion. This initiative offers an alternative to dispatching police, with a team of two workers responding to calls made via 211.
By the summer of 2026, the ANCHOR program's service area will increase to include the ByWard Market, Lowertown, Sandy Hill, Vanier, Overbrook, and a cluster of apartment buildings near Lees station. This expansion follows a successful first year where the team handled 1,874 calls, with over 90 percent resolved without police involvement.
Funding for this growth includes $700,000 approved by city council in December and an additional $400,000. Neighborhoods were selected for expansion based on indicators like population density, racialized populations, overdose rates, and emergency department visits for mental health issues.
The ANCHOR team is also adding two post-crisis response workers to help organize follow-up care, enhancing the program's comprehensive support system. The program was established in response to the 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi following an altercation with police.
