Here are some highlights from the November monitoring report to council by Community Safety Co-ordinator Herb Sutton on Monday night.
The next meeting of SAGE is Dec. 7 and they will focus on work plan development for 2017. Four groups have been identified for engagement in the coming year and they are youth, business, seniors/elders/adults and urban and rural aboriginal people.
Sutton noted it was in regards to that last group that they “struggled with the most” in engagement. He said the SAGE group has put forward a proposal to Public Safety Canada to develop processes and tools and building capacities to have those kinds of conversations.
“We have to find ways to move ahead in a positive way,” said Sutton.
Sutton also reported on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design efforts, in particular on work with respect to creation of formal neighbourhoods.
The CPTED Review Committee is partnering with SAGE on that initiative and Sutton noted preliminary discussions have already started. He noted SAGE has strongly supported the creation of formal neighbourhoods as a way to help with the engagement required with the public.
Sutton noted “engagement works better on a smaller scale than trying to do something with the entire city.” He said creating formal neighbourhoods would help with that.
Sutton also reported on efforts at the Hub table and Hub steering committee and he noted one of the efforts has been to find ways to involve community-based organizations in the work of the Hub. They have invited organizations to come to the Hub table and make presentations on what they are doing.
The idea, Sutton explained, is that when Hub table members make connections to individuals and families to services, “they can take the appropriate community-based organization materials with them and make that available to the families as well.”
As well, much closer work is happening with Building Partnerships to Reduce Crime, and the Hub has been getting more referrals from a number of agencies including the RCMP. Sutton called it a “strong tangible sign of a very effective table” when agencies were coming and participating and bringing elevated risks forward.
Sutton also had some encouraging news to report on the activities of The Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords.
Sutton had spoken to the new manager in place there and reported that effective Nov. 28, the Lighthouse will now be open 24 hours, including daytime hours. That schedule was expected to continue until the end the March.
Breakfast and lunch will be open to the community, though dinners would be restricted to those who will be at the Lighthouse for that night. Sutton also said the organization is looking for volunteers and encouraged those interested to contact The Lighthouse if they wanted to help.
Sutton still noted in his written report that more work was needed to find sustainable, long-term funding models for the emergency shelter.
