Portland Street Response Extends Service Hours, Launches Direct Line – KXL

Portland, Ore. – Portland Street Response is expanding its hours and adding a new phone number in an effort to improve services for people in mental and behavioral health crises.

Beginning Oct. 1, the program will operate daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. People in need can dial 911 or call 503-823-7773, which will connect to trained 911 call takers.

Portland Street Response dispatches unarmed responders to assist people in crisis in non-violent situations. The city says the changes will make the service easier to access while allowing police to continue responding to cases involving weapons or immediate threats to safety.

April Roa, the program’s interim manager, called the addition of a dedicated phone line “a sign of what can be accomplished when Portland’s public safety services work together to meet community needs.”