Not quite 24×7, Seattle’s CARE Department crisis responders now available 18.5 hours a day

(Image: CARE)

Seattle’s CARE Department is ready for a big step as the city’s crisis responders are expanding their hours to daily from 6:30 AM to 1:00 AM across Seattle.

The unit previously operated from noon to 10:00 PM

The schedule expansion targets late-night and early-morning hours when officials say demand peaks. According to call data, approximately 84% of the unit’s most frequent call types, including welfare checks, resource requests, and crisis assistance, occur within the department’s new hours.

Officials said Tuesday the expansion comes amid a sharp increase in demand for non-police crisis response. So far in 2026, Community Crisis Responders have responded to 6,279 calls, already nearing the just over 7,100 calls handled throughout all of 2025.

The expansion of Seattle’s CARE Department and its CCR teams was funded in the last budget update with $6.9 million allocated to double the CCR staffing by adding 24 new responders and 6 supervisors, and purchasing vehicles, equipment, and expanding district facilities.

The budget draws from the city’s 0.1% Public Safety Sales Tax projected to generate around $39 million annually, which provides $15 million in operational support for CARE and revenue for expanding public safety and crisis response initiatives.

The Community Assisted Response & Engagement Department deploys unarmed, trained mental health professionals to non-violent emergency situations.

The expansion comes after legislative efforts earlier this year codified new boundaries for CARE field staff, explicitly stating that responders cannot engage in criminal law enforcement or issue citations of any kind. CARE Chief Amy Barden has said she is continuing to guide the department to overcome limitations placed on its responders. This winter, Barden said CARE crisis responders remain hamstrung and sidelined by the new contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild union. Barden says the current approach has limited CARE responses to public outdoor spaces, banning interventions inside buildings, vehicles, or on private property and prohibiting dispatch if minors, drug paraphernalia, confrontational behavior, or potential crimes are involved.

CHS reported here on the establishment this year of a new CARE East Precinct Hub on 12th Ave.

Residents can request CCR teams by calling 911 or the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency line at 206-625-5011. Call-takers evaluate incoming reports to determine whether a mental health response is appropriate for the situation.

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