Let’s take the policing out of mental health care
CITY-WIDE!!!
Right now over 1 million Torontonians don’t have access to the most appropriate interventions. Let’s change that.
On October 31st, the City’s Executive Committee will vote on a proposal to make the current non-police mental health crisis pilots CITY-WIDE. LEt’s support the new plan.
What can you do?
Email Mayor Chow, and ask her to move forward in the City-wide plan
Bring others to action
Reach out to others to and ask them to speak up too
Write to the Mayor at Mayor_Chow@Toronto.ca
Dear Mayor Chow and members of the Executive Committee,
I am one of many RORN supporters in Toronto that celebrated the decision to launch the mobile mental health crisis team pilots in 2022. Since then the city has seen the roll out of four different pilot teams providing crucial mental health support to vulnerable people. Reports on the program show it is a success.
But as you know, almost half of the city is still not served by these pilots. Over a million vulnerable people without the most appropriate response in a mental health crisis.
This month, the Executive Committee will meet to vote on an option to expand those pilots City-wide.
I am asking that you take this important step. These programs not only provide more appropriate support, they are a demonstrated success and are also far less costly than the outmoded approach most of the City still faces.
Please vote for City-wide expansion on October 31st.
After years of campaigning, we are on the brink of a big win:
a city-wide roll out of non-police crisis response for mental health
In 2020, the Reach Out Response Network began our fight for the use of non-police models in addressing mental health crises in Toronto. In 2022, four pilot projects, covering half the City, launched to test that approach. It was a huge success! But Council rejected the City-wide rollout in the 2023 budget.
Now there is a chance to turn that around.
Last year RORN lobbied Council to fund full implementation, we worked with City staff to explore options, and we collaborated with partners in the community to develop teams that could help implement a City-wide program.
We knew this was the right thing to do, and we took every opportunity to press for it.
Next week we may see critical progress on those efforts. The Mayor supported it in her campaign, staff are recommending it, and we are pointed in the right direction. Now, on October 31st, the City's Executive Committee will consider a plan for City-wide rollout
We are asking that you contact Mayor Chow, and the Executive Committee to ask that they take this important step forward in community safety. Just copy and paste the letter opposite (modified however you like) and email it to Mayor Chow at Mayor_Chow@Toronto.ca and send a copy to hello@reachouttoronto.ca and we'll get a copy to the Executive Committee members.