Our Response to Recent Media Coverage

News

Oct 27

Public Statement · Canopy Roots, LLC · Updated: October 27, 2026

Canopy Roots has recently been the subject of several media stories, City Council discussions, and other public statements regarding our company and the Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) program, many of which are misleading or completely inaccurate. This unnecessary threat to the credibility and sustainability of our company has caused significant uncertainty and concern among our staff and the communities we serve.

As a small, Black-owned, women-led company, we are not interested in a political battle through the media. Because of who we are and what we do, we are at risk of being collateral damage and serving as the scapegoat for more powerful entities. However, we value accountability to the communities we serve, and being good stewards of public dollars. As such, we are sharing our response to some of the questions that have been raised in hopes to shift the focus back to what’s important: providing high quality, culturally-responsive mental health services to the residents of Minneapolis.

On this page

01. The BCR Audit Report
02. Financial Integrity
03. Communications with the City
04. City Council Discussions
05. Our Impact and Commitment
Supporting Documents

01 / THE BCR AUDIT REPORT

What were the results of the 2026 audit of the BCR program?

The October 19th audit identifies significant weaknesses in the City's contract oversight and invoice review processes. While auditors identified billing patterns requiring clarification, they expressly stated that they did not find any anomalies or evidence of non-compliance with the contract terms. Questions about invoice documentation should not be misrepresented as findings of financial misconduct. We have never withheld any financial information requested by the City.

02 / FINANCIAL INTEGRITY

Has Canopy Roots provided appropriate documentation with invoices for BCR services?

Canopy Roots has always provided both the contractually required and supplementally requested financial documentation to the City.

The BCR agreement is a professional services contract, not a dollar-for-dollar expense reimbursement contract. Since 2021, the City has contracted with Canopy Roots to provide behavioral crisis response services within an agreed upon annual budget. Recurring invoice amounts therefore do not necessarily reflect exact staffing hours or operating expenses over an invoice period. Additionally, the contract terms do not require supporting documentation to be submitted with invoices. Despite this, when the City's invoicing expectations changed during our contract, Canopy Roots worked extensively with City officials to provide additional documentation and meet their new requests.

Regarding the invoicing adjustment called out by the media: In July 2026, our Finance team identified a miscalculation that caused us to underinvoice the City over several months. When the error was discovered, Canopy promptly communicated it to the City and provided supporting documentation. The additional invoice was first submitted on August 19, 2026, before Canopy was notified of the City's vendor selection decision. Subsequent correspondence reflected ongoing discussions about that invoice, not a new demand following the procurement decision.

Following KARE 11's October 21 reporting, Canopy provided the newsroom with documentation establishing this timeline and requested corrections to its coverage. On October 22, KARE 11 confirmed that it had corrected the relevant reporting, removed inaccurate material from its video and social media coverage, and added an editor's note to its online article. We appreciate KARE 11's willingness to review the documentation and make these corrections.

03 / COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CITY

Did Canopy Roots interfere with the City’s RFP process for the Mobile Crisis Response (MCR) program?

Canopy Roots did not interfere with the RFP process. The email in question was a normal part of doing business.

We reject the media’s characterization of our correspondence as an ultimatum. The broader discussion was about Canopy Roots accepting a bridge contract to provide coverage between the end of our existing contract (8/15/26) and the beginning of the MCR contract (1/1/27). Canopy Roots had legitimate responsibilities to protect our staff, maintain financial stability, and plan for the future. Communicating those needs to the City was a normal and appropriate part of contract negotiations, not an attempt to improperly influence the City's decision.

Additionally, the email in question was sent in April 2026. At that time, the vendor selection process was supposed to be completed in July, and our existing contract ended in August. We were simply informing the City that we’d like to know the results of this process before committing to an extension in order to make the best decisions for the company. After this process was delayed and we learned the vendor selection would be announced after our current contract expired, we agreed to continue services through December 2026 to ensure service continuity for the community.

Canopy Roots was under no obligation to extend our contract, and we have the right to refuse a new contract for any reason. We believe the communications presented in the media have been cherry-picked to create a narrative of misconduct, when in reality it was a normal part of doing business.

04 / CITY COUNCIL

What is Canopy Roots’ response to recent City Council discussions and decisions?

Canopy Roots is concerned about inaccurate public statements about our company and the BCR, but we remain focused on continuing to provide excellent mental health services for the City of Minneapolis.

We are concerned about recent inaccurate public statements by some City officials and Council members regarding BCR's services. BCR responds to eligible 911 calls involving a behavioral health crisis, whether that crisis occurs on its own or alongside other circumstances, including substance use, homelessness, or mobility limitations. In order to protect the integrity of the program, a behavioral health crisis must be present; those other circumstances alone do not make a call eligible for BCR. In 2025 alone, our responders answered more than 350 calls at shelters, group homes, and detox centers. We provided the Council with documentation correcting these mischaracterizations on October 14th.

Additionally, there have been several contentious discussions about the vendor selection process for the upcoming mobile crisis response contract at recent City Council meetings. Beyond correcting inaccurate statements, our focus remains on providing excellent services for the City of Minneapolis. We expressed this sentiment in a letter to the City on October 27th.

OUR IMPACT AND COMMITMENT

Our focus remains on the community.

We stand behind our operations, values, and collaboration with our government partners.

Minnesotans are no strangers to sensationalist, political talking points. These tactics often distract from the critical needs of our community. Minneapolis is still recovering from Operation Metro Surge, unhoused folks across the Twin Cities are being displaced as a result of encampment evictions, and some of our most vulnerable communities have been the recent targets of direct political attacks. The culmination of these experiences creates an environment where mental health services are critical. We are disappointed that the narratives of some City officials and local media may ultimately impact the care our community receives at such a critical time.

Despite efforts to undermine our impact, it is undeniable that Canopy Roots has spent the last five years operating one of the most successful and acclaimed crisis response programs in the country. We've expanded the program from a pilot with limited hours to a 24/7 first response service integrated into Minneapolis's public safety ecosystem, responding to over 45,000 calls for service with zero injuries to recipients. Our focus remains on supporting Minneapolis residents and continuing to provide excellent mental health services.

Read more about our impact in the external evaluation of the BCR published by the Minnesota Justice Research Center.