Right Response. Right Time.

Calgary Alpha House Society, 211 (Distress Centre Calgary), Calgary Police Services (CPS) and Calgary 911 have been collaborating on a call diversion program since August 2022. The goal of the program: to streamline access to outreach services for Calgarians with a focus on reducing unnecessary uses of emergency services in situations involving homelessness, public intoxication, and social disorder. The program has been an exceptional success prompting city-wide expansion as of November 2025.

“We are extremely proud of this collaborative project which ensures the right response at the right time for Calgarians, ultimately reducing duplication of resources, and improving outcomes for street-involved individuals,”

– Charlene Wilson, Senior Director of Operations, Alpha House.

The program allows Calgary 911 and 211 operators to divert calls to the HELP Team where appropriate, improving access to outreach services and reducing response times to street crises, while decreasing the need for emergency service response.

“This program demonstrates the value and impact of collaboration across Calgary’s emergency and community services. By working closely with our partners – Alpha House, CPS, and Distress Centre Calgary – we’re able to connect callers with the most appropriate supports, while preserving emergency resources for situations that truly require them.”

– Dan Heyde, Deputy Chief of 9-1-1 Operations, Calgary 9-1-1

More than 26,000 calls have been diverted from emergency services since the program started with a success rate of 96% meaning only 4% of calls diverted to Alpha House had to be redirected back to The CPS or EMS. Since moving city-wide, 8-9,000 calls a month are diverted from emergency services to Alpha House’s HELP Team.

“The CPS is grateful to see the continued success of Alpha House’s HELP teams, the program’s expansion and the ongoing partnerships that have been critical supports. Providing the right resource to the right person frees up valuable time of our frontline officers and provides compassionate and necessary health and social supports that vulnerable Calgarians truly need. We look forward to the continuation and growth of this partnership as we work together to support the well-being of the community we all serve.”

– Kevin Forsen, Inspector, Social Policing Section

If there is no crime occurring (e.g. property damage, assault) or no immediate medical distress, there could be an opportunity for Alpha House to support the individual(s) towards Shelter, Detox, Hospital, or social service supports without police or EMS intervention. Community members can call Alpha House’s HELP Team directly at 403 998 7388 or reach the team by calling 211.

“Distress Centre Calgary is proud to be part of this collaboration, which helps decrease the pressure on emergency services and makes sure people are connecting to the right support when they need it most.  The success of this partnership is essential to strengthening our community and providing connection and access to the right supports.”

– Sarah Sandall, Director, 24/7 Crisis & Navigation

Alpha House’s HELP Team is a mobile response program responding to calls for service for incidents and situations related to homelessness and public intoxication.