Frequently Asked Questions

  • CBS was originally created as a community-designed pilot program providing a non–carceral, unarmed response to situations such as:

    • Mental health crises

    • Conflict escalation

    • Basic first aid

    • Overdose reversal

    • Welfare checks

    Over time, several structural realities became clear:

    • CBS functioned like an emergency response service, but was funded and structured as a short-term nonprofit project.

    • The program depended on annual grants and renewable contracts, which created financial instability and limited long-term planning.

    • Staffing levels and benefits did not always match the intensity and scope of the work.

    • Staff frequently carried multiple roles simultaneously, including crisis response, administration, operations, and communications.

    These conditions made it difficult to sustain the program in its current form.

  • Care-based crisis response requires:

    • Sustained, long-term funding

    • Integration into local systems

    • Clearly defined roles within municipal infrastructure

    Without these conditions, continuing CBS in the same structure would not align with community co-created values, and alignment with those values was always our priority.

    The decision to sunset CBS is an act of stewardship, making space for the work to continue through other community structures rather than forcing the program to operate unsustainably.

  • No.

    The closing of CBS does not mean the end of care-based safety work.

    The work lives through people, practice, and relationships, not just one organization.

    The practices, relationships, and knowledge built through the program will continue through community, partners, and ongoing organizing.

  • Community Support Access

    The non-emergency support phone line (734-219-2318) and the online request form will now be managed by FedUp Ministries.

    FedUp Ministries will also take over stewardship of the Signal Mutual Aid Server, allowing community members to continue responding to requests.

    Workshops & Trainings

    The “Preventing Harm & Crisis” workshop series will continue through:

    • FedUp Ministries

    • Peace House Ypsi

    These trainings include:

    • De-escalation

    • Safety planning

    • Mutual aid practices

    • Care-based crisis response skills

    Place-Based Community Support

    Relationship-based support will continue through partner organizations, including:

    • Washtenaw Camp Outreach

    • Peace House Ypsi

    • Daytime Warming Center

    • FedUp Ministries

    • Washtenaw County Health Department

    • Wolverine Street Medicine

    These groups continue to provide community-based care and outreach.

  • Please note that our last working day is March 31st, 2026 and that we may not be readily available for inquiries past that time.

    In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to our staff listed below:

  • Yes.

    A “Lessons Learned” document will be released the week of March 23rd, capturing the experiences and insights from CBS’s work.

    It will be available:

    • On the CBS website

    • In print outside the CBS office

    • At Growing Hope

    • At Peace House Ypsi

    This will be CBS’s final public offering.

  • Community members who want to make a goodbye gift to CBS are encouraged to donate directly to community partners continuing the work, including:

    • FedUp Ministries

    • Daytime Warming Center of Washtenaw County

    • Peace House Ypsi

    • Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights

    • Washtenaw Camp Outreach

    • Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti (MANY)

    Supporting local mutual aid and community care organizations also helps sustain this work.

  • The CBS team emphasizes that the work of building safety through care continues.

    Although CBS as an organization is ending, the values behind it—mutual aid, de-escalation, relationship-based care, and community safety—will continue through the people and partners who carry this work forward.

    The team closes with gratitude for the community’s trust, participation, and commitment to care-based approaches to safety.