A Comprehensive Approach to Community Safety

SafeTO
City Council has approved an implementation plan for SafeTO – a bold and different approach to community safety and well-being that emphasizes preventing crime by working collaboratively across sectors, communities, and governments.

This 10-year plan is guided by seven goals, including reducing vulnerability and violence, investing in people and neighbourhoods, as well as driving collaboration and accountability. In the first year of implementation, the plan will focus on:

  • Introducing an alternative crisis support service model to be delivered through four community pilots;

  • Establishing a Toronto Office to prevent gun violence and working with local communities to enhance coordination of gun violence prevention and intervention efforts;

  • Better supporting victims and communities impacted by violence through enhancing the Community Crisis Response Program and partnerships that provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive supports; and

  • Creating a multi-sector data centre to inform real-time policy development and service planning.


Community Crisis Support Service Pilot
The Community Crisis Support Service Pilot – a community-led response to mental health crisis calls and wellness checks – is one of the key pillars of the SafeTO plan. Over the past five years, the Toronto Police Service has seen a 32.4% increase of "person in crisis" calls. In 2020, City Council directed the City Manager to develop a non-police led, alternative community safety response model for calls involving Torontonians in crisis.

The Community Crisis Support Service will be comprised of mobile, multidisciplinary teams of trained crisis support specialists, including nurses, peer workers, crisis counsellors, and harm reduction workers. The team will provide 24/7 crisis management support in four pilot areas across Toronto – Northeast, Northwest, Downtown East, and Downtown West. Developed using feedback from 33 community roundtables and public surveys, the Pilot is scheduled to launch in two phases: in the Northeast and Downtown East by March 2022 and in the Northwest and Downtown West by June. You can read more about the Community Crisis Support Pilot and other policing reform initiatives, here.

Jaye Robinson