Model advances public safety, connects people to services in Richmond

RICHMOND - People in Richmond will be better served by a collaborative approach to complex social challenges in order to deliver faster access to services for individuals at risk of harm or victimization.

Safe community situation tables gather front-line workers from the public safety, health and social-service sectors to identify high-risk individuals and rapidly connect them to services and supports they need, before they experience a negative or traumatic event.

"Safe community situation tables ensure that people remain our focus as we work to build safer, stronger communities," said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. "By combining front-line workers' expertise, the tables enhance our capacity to respond to community safety challenges, keeping people safe by swiftly connecting individuals to essential services."

The Province has 36 operational safe community situation tables. The Richmond table is expected to complete its training and onboarding in the coming months. The partners will meet on a weekly basis to address issues pertaining to their community, such as mental health and addictions, homelessness, poverty and survival crime.

The model provides a structured, collaborative approach to managing complex or urgent circumstances by bringing together key groups, using systematic processes to mitigate risk and develop action plans to respond more effectively and efficiently to the needs of each individual. Furthermore, aggregate data analysis helps policy-makers assess gaps and risks in their local communities.

The tables are considered a best practice for improving community safety and well-being by enabling community front-line workers to:

• proactively identify risks through real-time information sharing;
• reduce long-term demand on emergency and police resources;
• leverage and co-ordinate existing community assets and relationships between health supports, victim services, and culturally safe support and services;
• plan and deliver collaborative interventions before an incident occurs; and
• reduce increased risk in people's lives.

The Province is supporting the City of Richmond with a $50,000 grant to assist with implementation. Since 2018, more than $3 million has been provided in grants to B.C. regions and communities to facilitate local safe community situation tables, intervention circles and other related initiatives. There are 45 funded situation tables and intervention circles in B.C. Thirty-six are operational and the other nine are under implementation.

Safe community situation tables are advancing the Safer Communities Action Plan's goal of creating safe, healthy communities. The tables build on the programs, services and initiatives the Province has undertaken or implemented to strengthen enforcement to break the cycle of violence and crime, and to strengthen services to keep communities safe and healthy.

Learn More:

For more information about situation tables, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/policing-in-bc/collaborative-public-safety-program/situation-tables

For more information about ways the Province is making communities safer for everyone, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/safer-communities/

A backgrounder follows.

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