Crisis Services

ACT I

ACT 1/Bridge, located at 184 Pearl Street in downtown Burlington, is a community-based alcohol and drug crisis stabilization and social detoxification program. The program provides 24-hour supervised shelter for clients who are intoxicated and incapacitated by drugs and/or alcohol and who have come to the attention of law enforcement or who are self-referred. For more information, please call 802.488.6425.

Bridge Program

The Bridge Program provides short-term stabilization and social detoxification in a non-medical setting for individuals who are experiencing alcohol or other drug abuse or dependence. While length of stay varies, most clients move to either more or less intensive programming within three to five days, depending on progress toward treatment goals and the needs for environmental controls. Individuals whose primary diagnosis is psychoactive chemical abuse, dependence, or withdrawal who are medically stable and who are in need of a safe and supportive environment for detoxification and stabilization are eligible for services at the Bridge Program. Clients must be able to ambulate and be willing to stay and benefit from the program’s structure. We do not limit participation based on inability to pay for services. If a client is unwilling to participate in treatment or in need of a higher level of care, he or she would be deemed inappropriate for admission. For more information, please call 802.488.6425.

The ASSIST Program

The ASSIST Program is a three-bed crisis stabilization and hospital diversion program for any Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT) client of a community mental health center in Vermont who is experiencing a psychiatric crisis. We provide crisis respite to help people with psychiatric disabilities remain in the community and divert admissions to inpatient care. We also can help clients who are leaving an inpatient setting transition back to the community. It is a voluntary program and can serve anyone who is able to benefit from the program’s structure. ASSIST is located at 300 Flynn Avenue, Burlington, and is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Admissions are prioritized according to acuity and availability of other resources. For more information, please call 802.488.6411.

Mobile Crisis Team

The Mobile Crisis Team is located at HowardCenter, 300 Flynn Avenue, Burlington. We provide immediate response to requests for direct interventions, assessment, and screenings for hospitalization through telephone counseling and face-to-face interviews on site and at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, and, when appropriate, at other community locations. For more information, please call 802.488.6400.

We serve individuals over the age of 18 (and their support systems), who are experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis and who are residents of Chittenden County. Calls for services to individuals under the age of 18 are redirected to HowardCenter’s First Call Crisis Team: 802.488.7777.

Any person who is concerned about a mental health issue may call the Crisis Hotline for a consultation with a mental health professional. We provide 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week phone intervention and crisis outreach at the following number: 802.488.6400. Calls and requests for outreach are triaged according to acuity and availability of resources. We accept referrals from a variety of public and private human service providers in the community, family members, law enforcement personnel, and concerned citizens.