Crisis Assistance Response Team – CARE Team

The Crisis Assistance and Response Team (CARE Team), is a community-based, trauma-informed alternative response team for residents experiencing distress related to substance use, mental health and well-being as well as conducting wellness checks.  The team helps broaden the spectrum of supports for non-emergency crisis and is delivered in partnership with 211 Nova Scotia and Souls Harbour Rescue Mission.

CARE Team service area and service times

The CARE Team operates: 

• 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday to Friday
• Serving Dartmouth (within the circumferential highway – Highway 111), Woodlawn and Cole Harbour. 

As part of pilot phase, the service will expand to 24 hours a day, seven days a week in January 2026. 

About the CARE Team

The CARE Team provides non-clinical, non-emergency, trauma-informed and culturally responsive support to residents experiencing distress related to substance use, mental health and well-being. The CARE Team builds upon the recommendations approved by Regional Council in the Public Safety Strategy, filling the need for more community-based alternatives. 

The Care Team pilot program launched in October 2025 and is delivered through service agreement with 211 Nova Scotia, Souls Harbour Rescue Mission and the municipality’s Community Safety team.

Additional background

In 2023, Halifax Regional Council unanimously approved the municipality’s 2023–2026 Public Safety Strategy. The strategy aims to build a broader, more holistic and robust approach to community safety and wellbeing in the Halifax Regional Municipality. 

Action Area two of the strategy calls for a broader spectrum of responses to community and public safety by building or enhancing community-based approaches. It includes Action 2.1, a community-based mobile crisis diversion team that can provide a viable alternative to first responders for non-emergency crises.

Since then, the program’s design has been informed through much research, including:

• learning from the wealth of literature on similar models around the world; and,
• visiting/collaborating with existing community crisis response models such as:
  • ANCHOR in Ottawa;
  • 24/7 Crisis Diversion Program in Edmonton; and,
  • Toronto Community Crisis Response
• engaging with Nova Scotian organizations’ interested in this type of support model including:
  • people with lived and living experience;
  • community service providers; Halifax Regional Police (HRP) and RCMP;
  • Nova Scotia Health Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line (PCL); and,
  • various Nova Scotia government-led committees tasked with actioning the Mass Casualty Commission recommendations related to preventing gender-based violence and enhancing community-based crisis support.  
     

Frequently asked questions

What does the CARE Team do?

CARE provides in-person support for people experiencing non-emergency, non-violent crises related to mental health, substance use or personal well-being. This service offers a safe, trauma-informed alternative to calling first responders, like police, when that may not be the best fit. 

Examples of support include:

• providing in-person help when someone is in distress;
• conducting wellness checks;
• calming and de-escalating a crisis;
• making a safety plan;
• helping someone get to a safe place; and
• connecting people to community supports after the crisis.

Important: CARE is a consent-based service. It does not respond to emergencies involving violence, weapons or when urgent medical care is needed. In those cases, call 911. 
 

How does the CARE Team work?

The CARE team is a consent-based service delivered through partnership with:

• 211 Nova Scotia – the first point of contact for residents. 211 Nova Scotia carefully assesses all requests to determine safety and risk before sending the CARE Team.
• Souls Harbour Rescue Mission – provides the mobile CARE Team. Once 211 Nova Scotia has determined a call is suitable, they dispatch the mobile CARE Team who will provide in-person support. 
• The municipal Community Safety team – The municipality’s Community Safety team oversees the program, evaluation and overall coordination within the broader community safety ecosystem. 
   

Is there criteria for sending the CARE Team? 

Before sending the mobile CARE Team, 211 Nova Scotia assess for the following:

• The person must consent to information being shared with supporting agencies;
• The person(s) in crisis is(are) 16 years of age or older;
• The situation is occurring (or has occurred) in the service delivery area;
• There is no imminent danger of serious bodily harm, or death; and,
• There is no potential for serious bodily harm to any person.

For safety purposes, the mobile CARE Team will continually assess the scene when they arrive to ensure these criteria are maintained or if additional support is required.  
 

Does the CARE Team receive any specialized training?

Yes.

CARE staff are specially trained in trauma-informed care, harm reduction, mental health first aid, suicide prevention and cultural humility. They are prepared to respond respectfully and effectively to people from diverse communities, including African Nova Scotians, Indigenous Peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse residents.

In addition to these topics, CARE Team members are certified in   including, but not limited to:

• Trauma Informed Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (Certified by the Crisis Prevention Institute);
• Mental Health First Aid (Certified by the Mental Health Commission of Canada); Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training suicide prevention (Certified by LivingWorks);
• Standard First Aid; and
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
   

Will the CARE Team service be expanded?

In the pilot phase, the CARE Team offers services Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Dartmouth (within the circumferential highway - Highway 111), Woodlawn and Cole Harbour. 

As part of the pilot, 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service is expected to launch in early 2026. 

As the pilot phase continues, the CARE program will be adapted with input from third-party evaluation findings. Key factors of these evaluations will include:

• Reducing reliance on law enforcement for non-emergency crisis;
• Improving safety outcomes for individuals in crisis; and,
• Increasing community safety and trust. 
   

Are Halifax Regional Police or RCMP involved in the CARE program?

The municipality’s Community Safety business unit oversees the CARE Program and works closely with the Integrated Emergency Services team, including Halifax Regional Police and RCMP to ensure there are “no wrong doors” for accessing CARE. 

As the program evolves, the Community Safety team will continue to collaborate and integrate to further refine how emergency response services can assess calls and divert to the CARE Team if appropriate to do so.
 

Program partners