Detroit Peer Respite

  • A photo of Detroit Peer Respite members sitting around a fire on folding chairs. Most of them are taking notes.
  • A photo of Detroit Peer Respite members sitting around a fire. The photo is taken from far away; the faces of individual members cannot be seen, but the image centers on the distinct rays of sun streaking dramatically through the trees and catching on the fire's smoke.
  • A selfie of Lance and Karen, two members of Detroit Peer Respite. Lance smiles directly into the camera while Karen looks off into the distance.
  • A photo of Karen and Grey, two members of Detroit Peer Respite, sitting around a fire in folding chairs.
  • A photograph of a street in a Detroit neighborhood. The camera is focused on a white flower, which is in sharp focus in the foreground. In the background are the blurrier images of houses, cars, and a neighbor walking a dog.
  • A photo of Karen, a member of Detroit Peer Respite, standing in a parking lot with outstretched arms.
  • A photo of Grey, a member of Detroit Peer Respite, looking at the camera and smiling awkwardly. He holds a notebook in one hand.

Abolitionist Crisis Care By and For Detroiters

Detroit Peer Respite is a 100% consensual, 100% voluntary, 100% non-clinical alternative place to stay during a mental health and/or substance-related (non-medical) crisis. It’s run by and for Detroiters who have personally survived their own crises, so we can relate.

We’re a collective of abolitionist care workers from in and around the City of Detroit. Most of us are trans and/or queer women and femmes. Some, but not all, of us have job experience in the mental health and/or medical professions; but respite is not a medical or professional offering — it’s a form of mutual aid. We all have lived experience of surviving our own personal struggles.

We’re fundraising to open our doors in 2025, to provide non-carceral crisis care in Detroit.

We’re offering community members in crisis a short-term (Up to 7 days) place to stay, as a guest in a host home, supported by volunteer peer support workers — folks who’ve been there, who can relate, and who receive support and training to offer care and peer support , while honoring our guests’ wishes and their consent.

Contact and Support Us!