External Evaluation for Boston’s Community-Led Mental Health Crisis Response (MHCR) Pilot

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is the local public health department for the City of Boston. BPHC’s mission envisions a thriving Boston where all residents live healthy, fulfilling lives free of racism, poverty, violence, and other systems of oppression. BPHC works in partnership with communities and City agencies to advance health equity and address the structural conditions that shape behavioral health and well-being.

The Community-Led Mental Health Crisis Response (MHCR) Pilot is the result of a multi-year, community-informed planning and design process initiated in response to longstanding concerns about the role of law enforcement in responding to mental health crises in Boston. Beginning in 2020, community members, advocates, and service providers called for alternatives to traditional emergency response systems that frequently involve police, particularly in communities that have been historically over-policed and underserved by behavioral health systems. In 2021, the City of Boston formally launched a cross-agency effort to reimagine mental health crisis response. This work included collaboration among City leadership, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), and community partners, as well as a community-led design process facilitated by local organizations with deep neighborhood relationships. Through this process, residents articulated a clear vision for crisis response models that are community-led, non-carceral, consent-based, culturally responsive, and grounded in lived experience.