Red Deer pilot project aiming to reduce non-emergency 911 calls working: city
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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.