Care-Based Safety will officially conclude operations on March 31st, 2026.

Community Statement

A Message to Our Community

Care-Based Safety may be closing, but the work of building safety through care continues through community.

For Us,

By Us.

Care-Based Safety is dedicated to acting with principle and intention. We are taking careful steps in sunsetting a community response program that brought loving, unarmed support to people directly impacted by structural violence – without police. In our planning, response, and practice we center the needs of people who are Black, Indigenous, undocumented, unhoused, LGBTQIA+, using drugs, and/or experiencing mental health struggles.

Past Programs

Care-Based Safety operated one program with two core components: Community Building, which strengthened communities to prevent harm, and Care-Based Response, which provided support before, during, and after conflict, crisis, or other concerns.

Using a public health approach, our program was led by highly trained, fairly compensated peer workers, with additional support from dedicated volunteers. Shaped by Coalition to Re-Envision Our Safety (CROS) research and 18 community listening sessions in 2023, it was designed to be independent from government, separate from 911 and law enforcement, sustainably funded, and peer-led.

In addition to responding to individual conflicts, we addressed structural violence—such as institutional neglect and discrimination—that fuels harm in our communities. Every decision we make is rooted in safety, self-determination, dignity, and community consent.