Red Deer pilot project aiming to reduce non-emergency 911 calls working: city

RED DEER -

A pilot project approved by Red Deer city council has reduced non-emergency 911 calls by more than 800 in six months.

Red Deer’s Social Diversion pilot project has been making a difference, according to city officials.

In 2020, the project was approved by city council as a way to provide help to individuals in distress while also reducing the number of non-emergency calls dispatched to 911.

Since its launch in January, people in Red Deer have had the option to call 211 when they see someone that needs non-emergency support, such as someone experiencing mental health issues or an addiction crisis. The Social Diversion Team, staffed by the Safe Harbour Society, have been responding to those calls.

“They’ll help deal with the situation, whether that is providing a warm handoff to the client, finding out the needs and giving resources. They can transport to a day program, an overnight shelter, a hospital, wherever that client is needing to go at that time,” said Stephanie MacDonald, program manager with Safe Harbour.

In its first six months, Red Deer’s Social Diversion Team has responded to 878 events, averaging approximately six calls per day.

“Each one of these calls represents an event that was diverted from our emergency medical services and policing resources, and also demonstrates our ability to respond to individuals in need with the right resources at the right time,” said Jeremy Bouw, Safe and Healthy Community Supervisor for the City of Red Deer.

According to the city’s statistics, most of the calls were related to homelessness, intoxication, mental health, and inclement weather.

The bulk of the calls are coming from the city’s downtown core with 27 per cent of calls coming from local businesses, 26 per cent from the public, 24 per cent are team initiated events, and nine per cent from community agencies. The remaining 14 per cent are from multiple other sources.

“We have had really great feedback from downtown businesses, where a majority of our calls stem from,” said MacDonald.

“The Social Diversion Team has been very effective in both working with the individual to connect them with the resources they need, as well as provide positive outcomes for the businesses that have called us.”

The one year pilot project will expire at the end of November, but city council will have a chance to extend or expand it before that date.

“When we launched this program, our goal was to improve community safety by providing a broader spectrum of supports,” said Bouw.

“In reviewing the six-month data, it has been demonstrated that the Social Diversion Model has been successful in supporting first responders, the business community, citizens, and the individuals in crisis.”