What is the purpose of the CAB?

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) helps ensure that the Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) program remains accountable, community-informed, and responsive to the people it serves.

The CAB serves as a community-rooted oversight body. Members review program information, identify patterns and concerns, and offer recommendations to strengthen safety, accountability, and service quality. This includes reviewing incident reports, community complaints and feedback, and program policies and protocols.

The CAB is developing its workflow and processes for program oversight and structured review, with the goal of supporting meaningful community accountability and improving how services are delivered in practice.

WHAT does tHE CAB do?

CAB members help review and strengthen BCR through several key areas:

• Safety and incident oversight
  Review incident reports and safety concerns to identify patterns and recommend improvements to protocols or training.

• Community complaints and feedback
  Review community concerns related to accessibility, effectiveness, and care experience, and identify themes to improve responsiveness and trust.

• Policy and protocol evaluation
  Review new or updated policies and provide feedback grounded in lived experience, community knowledge, and accountability.

• Community education and awareness (secondary)
  Advise on awareness gaps and community understanding of BCR, as a secondary function to oversight work.

Why does the cab matter?

The Minneapolis BCR is strongest when it remains rooted in the wisdom, concerns, and lived experience of the communities it serves.

The CAB helps ensure that BCR does not operate in isolation from community accountability. Through structured review and discussion, members surface concerns, identify gaps, and help strengthen alignment between day-to-day operations and Canopy Roots’ mission and values.

The CAB provides a space for community members to contribute to the ongoing development of BCR in a way that is practical, thoughtful, and grounded in real program conditions.

The CAB uses a consensus-based decision-making process and emphasizes relationships rooted in care, accountability, and long-term sustainability.

apply to join the cab!

We are currently recruiting new CAB members for 2026! We encourage applications from people who:

• Have lived experience with mental health or behavioral crisis, personally or through a loved one

• Are rooted in Minneapolis communities

• Bring experience in advocacy, public systems, healthcare, policy, social services, or community leadership

• Care deeply about accountability, crisis response, and improving public systems

• Are willing to engage in structured oversight and review work

We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, and others most impacted by crisis response systems.

If you are interested in helping strengthen the Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response program through community-rooted oversight and accountability, we invite you to apply.