VIMHS
Vancouver Island Mental Health Society
Victoria CRCL team aims to provide community led crisis response
Victoria CRCL team aims to provide community led crisis response
Victoria CRCL team aims to provide community led crisis response
Wednesday 4th June 2025
Explore how CRCL teams offer compassionate alternatives to police involvement in mental health crises.
33 minutes
Compassionate
Informative
Supportive
Hopeful
Engaging
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Get the buttons here!Revolutionising Crisis Intervention: The Human Touch
Episode Overview
- CRCL teams focus on reducing police involvement in mental health crises.
- Responders use lived experience to connect with individuals in crisis.
- The service operates on a consent-based model, respecting individual autonomy.
- Community-led responses offer flexibility and adaptability in crisis intervention.
- CRCL aims to provide support that prevents escalation to emergency services.
"What it will look like is two human beings approaching a situation with care and respect."
Imagine a world where mental health crises are met with compassion and understanding rather than flashing lights and sirens. This episode of People First Radio introduces the Crisis Response Community Led (CRCL) team in Victoria, British Columbia, offering an innovative approach to crisis intervention. The CRCL model, previously known as Peer Assisted Care Team (PACT), seeks to minimise police involvement and instead bring a human touch to mental health emergencies.
Lacey Mesley, the director of the Victoria team, alongside Danielle Hartnack and Jill Alley, share their experiences and the journey of establishing CRCL as a vital community service. The episode explores how CRCL teams provide a consent-based service, ensuring those in crisis are treated with dignity and respect. Instead of uniforms and badges, responders arrive as fellow human beings, aiming to build relationships and provide support tailored to individual needs.
The team members draw from their own lived experiences, which adds a layer of empathy and relatability to their interactions. A significant takeaway is the importance of community-led responses in addressing mental health crises. The episode emphasises how these teams are embedded within local communities, allowing for flexibility and adaptability that larger institutions might struggle to offer. Mesley highlights the necessity for services that meet people where they are, addressing gaps in traditional emergency responses.
Listeners will gain insight into how CRCL teams operate, the types of calls they respond to, and the impact they've had over the years. With more communities adopting this model, the hope is to see a broader acceptance and understanding of non-police interventions in mental health care. If you're curious about how communities can come together to support those in crisis or wondering what alternatives exist beyond traditional emergency services, this episode offers a refreshing perspective.
Could community-led responses be the future of mental health crisis intervention?