What ANCHOR’s expansion into Sandy Hill means for our community
Sandy Hill will soon be included in the City of Ottawa’s Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) program, a community-led mental health and substance-use crisis response service that offers an alternative to a police response in certain situations.
ANCHOR was launched in 2024 as a response to long-standing community calls for safer, more compassionate ways to respond to mental health and substance-use crises. Instead of police, ANCHOR dispatches trained crisis response workers who are equipped to assess situations, de-escalate crises, and connect people to appropriate supports.
What’s changing for Sandy Hill
With additional funding approved by City Council in December 2025, ANCHOR is expanding eastward. By the end of June 2026, the program will begin serving Lowertown, along with the ByWard Market, Sandy Hill, Lees Towers, Vanier, and Overbrook.
What ANCHOR is and how to use it
ANCHOR is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Residents can access the service by calling 2-1-1 when someone is experiencing a mental health or substance-use crisis, and a police response is not required. Calls are handled by trained 2-1-1 navigators, who assess whether an ANCHOR response is appropriate and can dispatch a team of two crisis workers to attend in person.
ANCHOR teams focus on de-escalation, safety, and connection to care. They can also link individuals to post-crisis response workers, who provide follow-up support and help connect people to longer-term services once the immediate crisis has passed.
If there is an immediate risk of violence or weapons are involved, residents should continue to call 9-1-1.
Why this matters in Sandy Hill
In its first year, ANCHOR received more than 4,400 calls, and over 92% of in-person responses were handled without police involvement. These early results suggest that many crises can be addressed more effectively through community-based care.
For our neighbourhood,, the expansion adds another tool — one that prioritises dignity, safety, and compassion— when someone is in distress. It reflects the reality many neighbours already know — that not every crisis is best met with enforcement, and that care-first responses can strengthen both individual outcomes and community wellbeing.
Who runs ANCHOR?
ANCHOR is jointly operated by the Centretown Community Health Centre and Somerset West Community Health Centre, in partnership with Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario (2-1-1). It is funded by the City of Ottawa. The program builds on extensive community consultation led by the Ottawa Guiding Council for Mental Health and Addictions.
A new option, rooted in community
ANCHOR’s arrival in Sandy Hill does not replace existing emergency services — it complements them. It offers residents a clearer choice when someone is struggling and needs support rather than punishment.
As the program expands into our neighbourhood, knowing when and how to use ANCHOR is one more way we can continue to look out for one another, respond with care, and strengthen the community supports that make Sandy Hill home.
Adapted and reprinted with permission from The Echo, Lowertown’s Community Newspaper.
Keeping Sandy Hill safe:
Local trends and community solutions
Constable James Kennedy
During the summer months, Ottawa typically sees an influx of residents and visitors into the downtown core and tourist areas. While this is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, festivals, restaurants and patios, it can also create operational challenges for emergency services.
With the recent closure of the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) sites in Sandy Hill and Lowertown, there have been questions about how the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) plans to address potential increases in loitering, trespassing, and related criminal activity. While the full impact on the community remains to be seen, the Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) strategy is designed to help mitigate these challenges through strong collaboration and communication among all partners.
OPS has dedicated CORE officers conducting foot patrols in key hotspot areas, including the ByWard Market, Centretown, West Centretown, and parts of North Sandy Hill. These patrols are supported by a coordinated approach involving CORE officers, patrol constables, OPS special constables, OC Transpo special constables, and other OPS specialized units.
The primary goals of the CORE strategy are to:
- Reduce crime
- Improve response times to calls for service
- Enhance the sense of safety for residents and visitors
Importantly, the CORE strategy goes beyond enforcement. It integrates City services and community partners, including bylaw services, housing, public health, transit, public works, outreach organizations, shelters, and addiction treatment services.
Trends in the Sandy Hill community
Like other areas across the city, Sandy Hill has experienced an increase in thefts under $5,000. One contributing factor may be the rise in package thefts associated with increased e-commerce activity.
Residents are encouraged to:
- Track deliveries closely
- Retrieve packages as soon as possible
- Ask a trusted neighbour to collect deliveries when away
- Consider secure delivery options, such as post office pickup or parcel lockers
During the summer months, increased activity in the downtown core can also lead to more loitering, trespassing on private property, and the presence of encampments
How you can help
Report incidents whenever possible! Active participation from residents is essential in helping OPS understand evolving crime patterns and community concerns.
Important reminders:
- Reporting a theft through an online retailer (e.g., Amazon) does not notify Ottawa Police.
- Filing a police report helps provide a clearer and more accurate picture of crime in your neighbourhood.
You can report incidents by:
- Filing a report online at: www.ottawapolice.ca/en/reports-and-requests/file-a-report.aspx
- Calling the non-emergency line: 613-236-1222, ext. 7300 to reach the Police Reporting Unit
- Calling 911 for crimes in progress or emergencies
Community members are also encouraged to report the following through the City of Ottawa’s Service Ottawa portal by calling 311 or using the 311 app:
- By-law issues (e.g., parking violations, property standards issues)
- Encampments on public property
Constable James Kennedy is employed by Ottawa Police Service.