Improving Public Safety By Addressing The Root Causes of Crime

CALGARIANS ARE FEELING LESS SAFE IN OUR CITY

Ask Calgarians and most will tell you that they are feeling less safe in our city than they have felt in years. Like many Canadian cities, rising housing costs, a toxic drug supply, and the mental health crisis are trapping more people in cycles of poverty and homelessness that is visible in communities across the city.

Calgarians recognize that people experiencing homelessness are part of our communities and deserve support. But they also feel City Hall is only shuffling people around and not actively addressing the issues. Calgarians want approaches that make everyone feel safe while addressing the root causes of crime and poverty.

ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES IS THE LEAST COSTLY APPROACH

Societal factors contributing to crime and lower public safety like inadequate supply of affordable housing options can and should be addressed by City Hall in part- nership with the provincial and federal governments. Access to social services, community support, employment op- portunities and greater social inclusion can also decrease the risk of criminal behaviour as individuals are less likely to do harm in a community when they feel a sense of belonging to that community.

Not only is addressing the root causes of the ongoing homelessness, mental health and addictions crisis in Calgary the right thing to do, it’s also the more cost effective approach. When you add up the costs related to emergency response, policing, property damage, and cleanup, you quickly find that by keeping people unhoused we are paying significantly more to have people suffer than it would cost to provide housing.

ENSURING THE BASIC NEEDS OF EVERYONE ARE MET

The City of Calgary has a front-line role in, and unique perspective on, many of the factors impacting public safety today including mental health and well-being, housing and homelessness, racism, substance use and addictions. The City must bring community organizations and health-care providers together to develop a more comprehensive approach to addressing many of the root causes of crime and poverty, including:

✅ Better Integrate responsive social services with our EMS - pairing more social services with front line EMS, like the Police and Crisis Team partnership between the Calgary Police Service and Alberta Health Services.

✅ Refocus on the shared goal of ending homelessness - Calgarians were united under the City’s previous 10-year plan to end homelessness that ended in 2018. But since then, the City has all but given up this objective to the detriment of the well-being of many of our neighbours and public safety in our communities.

✅ Increase investment in projects and organizations that improve the wellbeing of Calgarians in vulnerable communities - the City’s Community Safety Investment Framework funds dozens of organizations working on the frontlines to help vulnerable Calgarians.