MH First Oakland, a project of Anti Police-Terror Project, is a cutting-edge new model for non-police response to mental health crisis. The goal of MH First is to respond to mental health crises including, but not limited to, psychiatric emergencies, substance use support, and domestic violence safety planning.

MH First Oakland is available in the form of a free hotline – (510) 999-9MH1 – on Fridays & Saturdays from 2pm to 2am.

We lead with the principle that police should not be involved when responding to a crisis unless asked by mental health responders as a last resort. Crisis response services should support people through quality follow up and on-going care regardless of their ability to pay. Oakland will be the second city now operating this service; MH First Sacramento has been operating since January 2020.

Our purpose is to interrupt and eliminate the need for law enforcement in mental health crisis first response by providing mobile peer support, de-escalation assistance, and non-punitive and life-affirming interventions, therefore decriminalizing emotional and psychological crises and decreasing the stigma around mental health, substance use, and domestic violence, while also addressing their root causes: white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism.

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