By Cecilia Nasmith
With hopes of being able to submit it to the province by July, Northumberland County Community Services Manager Sarah Tanner filled Cobourg council in this week on the progress being made on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan now required by the province.
It's a multi-sectoral effort, Tanner said, listing public-health, primary-care, mental-health agencies, along with such community-based organizations as Salvation Army and Northumberland United Way, as well as child and youth services, police and fire services from across the county and, of course, the county's own Community and Social Services Department.
The plan will reduce calls and repeat callers to 911 through such initiatives as the Situation Table that includes front-line workers, prevention initiatives like transitional housing, and services that build social equity like family centres and the Food 4 All Warehouse.
To date, they have had both community surveys and service-provider surveys, data analysis and a review of strategic plans from across the county. Out of this extensive process, Tanner said, four priorities have been identified for Northumberland County – homelessness and affordable housing, substance use an addiction, mental health, and poverty, income and employment.
For each priority, there will be goals, objectives, activities and time lines, and metrics for success.
After a plan is approved, Tanner said, an implementation committee will be formed.
Councillor Adam Bureau asked what gaps were most concerning. Tanner's reply was collaboration and sharing.
“There's a great, vast amount of work being done, a lot of different community groups and agencies working very, very hard to support people and enable them to remain safe and healthy in their homes, but we need to support each other – to find ways to ensure people are aware of the things that are available to them,” she said.
