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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minneapolis Delays $5.9 Million Crisis-Response Contract Over Transition and Service-Gap Concerns
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 24, 2026). Minneapolis City Council members have delayed action on a proposed $5.9 million contract that would replace the Black-owned company operating the city’s around-the-clock behavioral crisis response program.
The Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee postponed its decision until October 7 after council members said they had not received enough information about the proposed contract, the city’s selection process or how officials would prevent interruptions during the transition.
The city administration selected Arizona-based Community Bridges Inc. to take over the program from Canopy Roots beginning January 1, 2027. The proposed agreement would run through December 31, 2028, with options for three additional one-year extensions.
Canopy Roots has operated the citywide Behavioral Crisis Response program since its 2021 launch. Approximately 60 employees provide 24-hour coverage, responding to qualifying 911 calls involving people experiencing mental-health crises when no weapon is reported.
The teams sometimes respond alongside police, but the program was created to resolve many behavioral-health emergencies without automatically sending armed officers. It has been credited with de-escalating volatile encounters and allowing police officers to concentrate on calls requiring law-enforcement authority.
Council President Elliott Payne said the city needed a credible implementation plan before approving the change. Council Member Jason Chavez, who chairs the committee, requested more time to examine the contract and the request-for-proposals documents that were not included with the staff presentation.
Seven organizations applied for the contract. City officials recommended Community Bridges, which operates behavioral-health and mobile-crisis programs in Arizona, Oklahoma and Idaho and reports employing approximately 1,700 people.
Minneapolis wants the next contract to expand the existing service into a broader mobile-crisis model. Proposed changes include responses to certain livability-related calls, stronger connections to long-term treatment and the deployment of crisis workers from city fire stations.
City staff said the existing program has performed well in de-escalating immediate emergencies. They also identified cases in which individuals repeatedly used the crisis system without being connected to sustained care.
Canopy Roots Executive Director Candace Hanson has questioned whether the transition can occur without disruptions. She said employees had not received detailed information about the city’s plan and expressed hope that experienced responders would be retained by the incoming provider.
The stakes extend beyond the contract itself. Maintaining an alternative to armed police response is part of Minneapolis’ court-enforced settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Any lapse could therefore affect both residents who depend on the program and the city’s compliance with mandated police reforms.
The committee’s delay does not reject Community Bridges. It requires city officials to provide additional documentation and a clearer transition plan before the council decides whether to approve the contract.
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