Triangle team that helps people in crisis instead of police adds a 2nd town
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- Orange County expands CARE mobile crisis team to Carrboro with new funding.
- CARE team handled 1,040 calls in 2024, aiding mental health and housing cases.
- Second unit hires underway; new hours and partners planned for 2025 rollout.
A program that works to calm crisis situations and keep people from being sent to jail or the hospital unnecessarily is expanding to Carrboro and adding a second mobile unit, officials announced this week.
The Crisis Assistance, Response and Engagement team — CARE — is based at the Chapel Hill Police Department with a crisis counselor, community emergency medical technician and peer support specialist with experience in life challenges.
The team responds to behavioral health and nonviolent calls, working with a crisis counselor at the 911 Call Center who provides remote help to callers or dispatches the team to help instead of police. Members work with the police department, its crisis unit, and county Emergency Services and Criminal Justice Resource Department personnel.
Orange County started its two-year pilot program in 2024 with a $579,500 state grant, partnering with Chapel Hill and Alliance Health, a regional managed-care behavioral health provider.
The expansion is funded with a $790,640 grant to Alliance Health from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
There were 1,040 CARE team interventions in the first year, officials said. These included well-being checks, helping people experiencing homelessness, and assisting people with disabilities, or mental, behavioral or substance use issues.
“This continues to be an incredible team effort with Orange County, and we’re excited to collaborate with the town of Carrboro, to support even more community members,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew said.
Step toward CARE teams across county
The county and towns are hiring staff now for the second mobile unit and will announce additional operating hours later this year.
Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack said he is “so glad that this program is now available” in his town, where the team could also partner with Club Nova and the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services, both of which serve vulnerable populations downtown.
“The CARE Team will allow people in crisis or challenging circumstances to quickly access real-time care and meaningful assistance,” Atack said.
The county’s goal is having a CARE team available to law enforcement agencies countywide, said Jamezetta Bedford, chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. County officials have previously said that could happen as early as 2026.
The UNC School of Government Criminal Justice Innovation Lab is also evaluating the program to determine its cost savings and to refine the makeup of mobile teams and their role in the state’s behavioral health crisis response system, state and county documents show.
“We’ve seen firsthand how many of our residents face crises that don’t require law enforcement, but do require care, compassion and connection to resources,” Bedford said.
Contacting the CARE team
The CARE team is currently available between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To contact the team in an emergency, call 911. Direct non-emergency calls to 919-732-5063.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
