Global News was given a tour of a safety model used in downtown Minneapolis that could be inspiring plans for a safer Winnipeg. Part two of our three-part series focuses on the city’s integrated approach to homelessness. Stay tuned to hear how representatives from Manitoba are reacting to it.
A safety model used in downtown Minneapolis takes a strategic, integrated approach to homelessness, which is inspiring a similar plan to take shape in Winnipeg.
The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID), works with public, private, and non-profit organizations to address safety concerns and respond to non-emergency calls from its ambassadors on the streets, often involving the city’s street population.
Coordinated out of a civilian-run safety communications centre inside the downtown Minneapolis police station, dispatchers can easily communicate with their safety ambassadors, outreach workers or police through a shared radio channel.
Outreach worker John Tribbett, for instance, might show up to call involving a homeless person.
“The reality is that a lot of things that people are doing when they’re unsheltered, they are things that you and I would do in our own home,” Tribbett explained.
“We’d use the bathroom, we would have romantic relationships, we’d get in fights, we’d maybe dance and do some strange things. If that happens on this corner suddenly it’s a criminal issue and so by working with the police departments were able to interject a social service response to that and not criminalize.”
Sometimes police themselves will personally call an outreach worker.
One downtown officer told Global News he has outreach worker Joseph Desenclos on speed dial.
“Our primary focus is to build trust with individuals,” Desenclos said.
Desenclos leads the DID’s livability team, a small group that provides resources to those in need by connecting them with individuals or other organizations that can help.
“There’s no sobriety requirement for our program and I think that’s very helpful to reduce those barriers for people because some place people go they have to be sober to talk to somebody, not necessarily with us.”
The downtown Minneapolis library is playing its part, too.
With the amount of street people seeking shelter in the library, it decided to hire outreach worker Kate Coleman.
Since Coleman’s hiring three years ago, the library changed its hours to allow homeless people in earlier.
“We asked the library is they’d be willing to do it,” Coleman said. “They approved a pilot and the pilot went so well we just continued it.”
Coleman also made changes to the no sleeping policy, which now allows people sleep if they’re not in anybody’s way.
“We show a free movie every Sunday morning, we have table top games down in our common space, down below here, people do adult colouring books, play chess and they play these games with our library staff,” Coleman said.
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The library does have security guards, but Coleman said there are rarely security incidents.
The Minneapolis safety model is inspiring a pilot project in Winnipeg that will see private security and ambassadors work collaboratively with support from police and the City of Winnipeg to deter crime.
A new, informal partnership between the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, True North Sports & Entertainment, City of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Police are in the process of tailoring the Minneapolis strategy to fit local needs.
Global News was given a similar tour representatives from Manitoba were given in Minneapolis this summer.
The Minneapolis library was not part of the tour for the group from Manitoba.
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