Minneapolis plans new provider for behavioral crisis response program
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The company that has led Minneapolis’ pioneering behavioral crisis response efforts, which was launched after George Floyd’s killing as an alternative to armed police, will likely be replaced by the city next year.
The shift comes as Minneapolis seeks longer-term support for people in crisis, but also throws into question whether the city will continue to meet a core requirement of its court-enforced agreement with the state Department of Human Rights, which was negotiated in the wake of Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer.
The city’s Behavioral Crisis Response teams provide 24/7 coverage through the private, Black-owned company Canopy Roots. The city-wide program was launched in 2021.
911 dispatchers send responders to emergency calls that clearly involve people in mental health crises who do not have a weapon, sometimes in tandem with Minneapolis police. The program has been hailed for more effectively deescalating situations without using force and for freeing up police officers to respond to more urgent calls.
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Canopy Roots was recently notified that they weren’t chosen to continue running the program by city officials after a request for proposals was issued earlier this year. There were seven applicants, but city leaders decided to award the contract to Arizona-based Community Bridges, Inc.
In the request for proposals, the city outlined the goal of expanding the program to a mobile crisis response model, which would send responders to a wider range of calls, including calls involving “livability” issues, and focus more on long-term stabilization of people in crisis. It would also deploy crisis responders to city fire stations.
If approved by the Minneapolis City Council, Community Bridges, which runs mobile crisis teams in Arizona, Oklahoma and Idaho, will take over the city’s behavioral crisis response program. A spokesperson for Community Bridges Inc. declined comment until after the council officially approves their contract.
Community Bridges specializes in addiction and mental health supports, and currently runs more than 30 programs that employ 1,700 people, according to its website. Board members for the organization include former local elected and law enforcement officials, as well as a couple of people with backgrounds in addiction or mental health treatment.
Canopy Roots currently has about 60 employees, most of whom are first responders, said Candace Hanson, owner and executive director of Canopy Roots. Hanson said she hopes most employees will be able to continue with the new provider.
“One of the things I'm hearing from responders is like, ‘Well, but we've done a good job. Like, what?’” Hanson said. “Yes, you guys did good work. The work that you've done has been impactful and important. We built something together. It was meaningful, and the contract going to someone else does not change that.’”
With the complexity of the program, Hanson said she’s worried there may be service gaps during the changeover. Hanson said they haven’t yet received detailed information about the city’s transition plans.
“We know that when we make sure the marginalized are taken care of, everybody is better and everybody gets what they need,” Hanson said. “People in Minneapolis who rely on this service, I do feel worried about what they'll get next.”
No officials from the city of Minneapolis were made available to talk about the decision before Wednesday’s staff presentation and vote by the Minneapolis City Council. But a staff presentation that will be made Wednesday says the program has excelled at de-escalation and resolving short-term crises, but has sometimes resulted in situations where a few people are relying heavily on the system without receiving sufficient long-term treatment or services.
The new contract is worth $5.9 million from Jan. 1, 2027 to Dec. 31, 2028, with an option to extend it annually for three additional years, according to the staff presentation.
Providing alternatives to armed police is a requirement of Minneapolis’ court-enforced agreement with the state Department of Human Rights. Similar requirements were included in the proposed federal consent decree, which was dismissed in 2025 after the Trump administration withdrew from the case.
Both the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and Effective Law Enforcement for All, which is the independent evaluator monitoring the city’s compliance with the state consent decree, declined to comment.
