CRCHES continues to gather info in community
Formed a little over three months ago, the Council’s Response Committee on Housing and Emergency Shelter (CRCHES) has been busy gathering information in the community.
Made up of Councillors Trevor Bolin, Gord Klassen and Sarah MacDougall CRCHES has spent the last few months actively collaborating with community partners to develop sustainable long-term solutions to address homelessness in Fort St. John.
Key focus areas for CRCHES include, assessing the impact of homelessness by collecting past and present data from homelessness counts, status of available shelter beds and requirements to stay in shelters; engaging with stakeholders, including local and provincial agencies which provide services, other local governments, first responders, businesses and organizations which have been impacted by the situation as well as individuals who have lived experience; and public awareness initiatives.
CRCHES has planned a variety of ways to both engage with stakeholders and the community, as well as gathering the necessary information to proceed with initiatives, and in the last month has gotten a good start on their plans.
In late November, CRCHES met with Staff Sergeant Watson and Sergeant Croll of the Fort St. John RCMP. S.Sgt. Watson is the acting detachment commander, and Sgt. Croll liaises with local community organizations, to focus on community safety and educating local groups and businesses about strategies to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. These groups include the Salvation Army’s Supportive Housing Community Advisory Committee, the FSJ Community Advisory Council – Good Neighbourhood Group and the City of Fort St. John Building Safer Communities Group.
Data collected by the RCMP from January to October 2024, showed that homelessness-related incidents account for a low-percentage of police case files. The calls for service associated with ten unhoused individuals who have the most contact with police accounted for 257 calls for service, of the total 10,520 RCMP case files in this period. There were also 73 RCMP calls related to homeless encampments during the same period.
In a November 22 press release, the City said that “While the link between homelessness and community safety remains a concern, this relatively small percentage underscores the need to address homelessness as part of a broader, comprehensive strategy to enhance community well-being.”
The efforts of the committee’s members continued last week with business walk to discuss the impacts of crime, shoplifting and mischief on the local business community.
They heard about businesses, which through increasing their internal security measures have experienced a marked decrease in theft, crime and mischief. Businesses that made it a practice to involve the police whenever there was an incident have also seen a drop in theft and shoplifting.
“The safety of our residents and businesses is a top priority for Council as we work to draft bylaws that foster a stronger and safer community,” Mayor Lilia Hansen said.
CRCHES meets monthly and will continue to gather to assist council on the development of bylaws and strategies to address housing, homelessness and community safety.