NB Housing Authority celebrates Crime Free Multi-Housing success

The North Battleford Housing Authority is touting success in meeting the requirements of the Crime Free Multi Housing program.

In a news release, NBHA notes their management and staff as well as the City of North Battleford (Herb Sutton) and the RCMP (Cst. Jane Kenny), have worked with tenants of Cec Davis Estates to meet the requirements of the Crime Free Multi Housing Program.

The Crime Free Multi-Housing program is designed to reduce crime in multi-unit facilities and buildings.

Cec Davis Estates is one of the apartment buildings managed by North Battleford Housing Authority in the city.

At a meeting with the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce Monday, Herb Sutton, city community safety co-ordinator, noted the NBHA was the first housing authority in Saskatchewan to be approved through Crime Free Multi-Housing, something he found significant because none of the others met the standards.

Achieving that approval involves a number of requirements. Sutton said management of NBHA had gone for a one-day training session in Saskatoon partnering with Saskatoon Police. The RCMP then inspected their buildings and made recommendations on safety.

The third part is a “safety social,” an event in which tenants are encouraged to get to know their neighbours and be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

According to NBHA’s release, 90 per cent of property managers who have completed the training in the Crime Free Multi-Housing program are making successful changes in the way they manage their properties.

Participating apartment communities have experienced a decrease in police calls for service anywhere from 20 to 70 per cent, according to the release.