After more than four years in operation, the Saskatoon Hub is celebrating its success in the city.
The Hub is a multi-agency approach, focused on reducing elevated risk, while enhancing community safety.
The joint effort includes Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), RCMP, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, Saskatoon Public Schools, Community Corrections, Child and Family Programs, Income Assistance, Community Living Service Delivery and Mental Health and Addictions Services through the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
“The ways of delivering service to people in the past, may not have worked the best, so we’ve been able to modify that, think outside the box,” said SPS Cst. Jody Culbert, who is the Saskatoon Hub coordinator.
The agencies meet at the Hub table every Tuesday and Thursday at police headquarters to share information and help connect around a dozen people a month to the supports and services that are needed.
Culbert said the community agencies went through “a lot of growing pains” when establishing the Saskatoon Hub in 2014.
“Over the last year, our biggest thing has been that we’ve been able to increase our efficiencies at the Hub table,” Culbert said.
In total, the Saskatoon group has connected more than 600 people to community services and supports.
“The most vulnerable people that need help, they don’t have access to the supports and services that most of us have. They don’t have a cell phone, they can’t access the website, they can’t google, they don’t have a vehicle,” Culbert said.
“If we don’t change the way we do business, these people are going to seem like they don’t want help or are just avoiding help, but it really is because they don’t know how to get that help. So offering it in a different way and meeting the person where they’re at, is crucial in the success of our entire community.”
Saskatoon is one of 15 communities in the province that have adopted the Hub model.
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