There is still work to do to put the Chilliwack Community Safety Plan into action but one of the key components, increasing affordable housing, is underway with new construction.
Council received a progress update from the committee overseeing implementation of the plan with a “traffic light dashboard” of green, yellow, and red items showing actions completed to date – or not.
Red items will require substantial funding and support from other agencies to move forward, including residential drug treatment, expanding Crown counsel, and counselling for families.
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“I am proud of the progress made to date by the City of Chilliwack and many of our partners,” said committee chair Coun. Bud Mercer. “There is still a lot of work to do and we need our community partners, especially those organizations who oversee items still showing red, to continue to work towards the important goals outlined in the plan that we developed together.”
Green light items in the report to council signified progress being made, while yellow items have some action starting, and red items have not yet been addressed by partners and senior government.
The multifaceted community safety plan completed in June 2021 by a top-tier task force sought to address safety concerns/perceptions; stigma around homelessness, substance use and mental illness; justice system challenges, and early interventions - all to get at the root causes of crime. The group hand-picked by Mayor Ken Popove from all sectors went into the planning process with a vision “to build an inclusive, accepting, engaged, and sustainable community where all residents are safe, feel safe, and have a sense of belonging.”
On the heels of the plan’s creation, a governance committee took over from the task force to support and monitor the plan’s implementation, so that the plan would not just sit on a shelf.
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Among the “green” items in the progress report were the most recent affordable housing initiatives, like the Paramount Project, the Interchange Supportive Housing at the old Travelodge, and a new shelter and supportive housing project on Trethewey Avenue.
Other green items also included better outreach case management co-ordination, and supports for food security.
Some “orange” items where improvements are on the way: police communications, overdose prevention services, reducing stigma, increasing supports for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness, and the expansion of street-based outreach.
Red items, which many point to as pivotal, will take more work to access funding, or juggling resources to fit community priorities from the Province and Fraser Health: establishing an Assertive Community Treatment Team, residential treatment beds, expanding Crown Counsel to increase the capacity of the justice system, and increasing trauma-informed counselling for children and families.
For more on the safety plan chilliwack.com/communitysafety
RELATED: Safety plan unveiled
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