Community-led Mental Health Crisis Response Pilot Service

The City of Boston, Massachusetts is seeking a vendor to launch and deliver a community-led mental health crisis response pilot service. This initiative aims to expand culturally aligned, non-carceral mental health crisis alternatives that reduce reliance on law enforcement and provide safe, dignified, and community-rooted support. The agency is trying to solve the problem of traditional emergency systems failing to meet the specific needs of residents experiencing behavioral health crises. The scope of work requires the vendor to establish an independent call line to serve as the entry point for the program. Call-takers must assess, triage, and dispatch services, as well as provide on-the-phone verbal de-escalation and emotional support. The project also covers field-based crisis intervention and follow-up services, where responders meet individuals in community settings to provide assessment, de-escalation, stabilization, and connection to ongoing care. Bidders must be onshore organizations based in the United States to be eligible for this opportunity. The performance of the work can occur onsite or offsite, and the agency expects the selected vendor to plan and deliver the pilot using established frameworks rather than starting from scratch. The agency is currently looking for proposals to determine the budget, and all questions regarding this opportunity must be submitted no later than July 10, 2026.