A different kind of mental health service is coming to Welland and Pelham.
The mobile crisis rapid response team program (MCRRT), has started a pilot expansion in the two communities following increased funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
This program is a partnership between Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Niagara Branch and the Niagara Regional Police Service.
The team's goal is to de-escalate crisis situations, immediately assessing individuals’ mental health and addictions care needs, and connecting people with appropriate support services in the community.
It pairs a mental health and addictions professional with a uniformed officer to respond to 9-1-1 mental health calls.
The policing grant funding will allow for the program to run for one year.
MCRRT has been active in St.Catharines and Thorold since 2015, and Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake since 2021.
Between 2015 and March 2022, MCRRT had 6,268 face-to-face interactions, serving 4,632 individuals, they connected 4000 people to mental health services, diverted 4,600 calls from hospital, and de-escalated 4,891 calls without apprehension.
“This much needed expansion into our 3 District will allow us to better serve those residents living in Welland and Pelham during a time of crisis,” said NRPS Chief of Police Bryan MacCulloch. “As we have seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in our community suffering from mental health and/or an addictions crisis have only grown. Building upon the success that we have observed in St. Catharines/Thorold and Niagara Falls/Niagara-on-the-Lake, we are looking forward to provide an enhanced and empathetic response to support people living in our community, at a time when they are most vulnerable.”
“We are grateful to our police partners for finding and securing this additional funding to support a pilot in 3 District, where police data indicates the program will be impactful,” said CMHA Niagara Executive Director Tara McKendrick. “We are confident that the program data will provide us with further evidence that ongoing additional investment in this program is supported by evidence, particularly in experience and positive outcomes for the individuals who benefit from this service. We continue to be hopeful that the successes will support an expansion of additional hours and availability across Niagara Region in the future.”
The following resources are available in Niagara region to support people with mental health and addictions concerns or crisis.