At CICS, we advocate for policies and funding that make alternative crisis response not just possible—but lasting. Our advocacy work focuses on influencing local, state, and national systems to support the growth and sustainability of community-centered models. We elevate lived experience, share cutting-edge research, and collaborate with grassroots and government leaders to drive systemic change.

Central to our advocacy is the power of storytelling. We use narrative change to challenge outdated ideas of public safety and uplift real stories of care-based responses that work. By shifting public perception and centering voices from the community, we help build the political will and public support needed to transform crisis response across the country.

In partnership with 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4), the Georgetown Law Center for Innovations in Community Safety (CICS), and Canopy Roots’ Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) program, this video showcases how alternative, community-based crisis response can provide compassionate care when a person needs it most. Together, these organizations are working to reimagine public safety by centering healing, dignity, and family