It‘s a program meant to help improve the streets of Windsor-Essex while also helping at-risk residents.
The program is called the “Situation Table”, where 27 agencies have been working together to discuss and implement new community safety and well-being strategies.
For the last five months, the program has identified 30 people who have received assistance.
Founder Brent Kalinowski tells CTV News the program works because people are offered a assistance through a partnership of agencies, rather than dealing with one at a time.
Kalinowski, of the Global Network for Community Safety, says they have found the biggest area of demand is with 25 to 39 year olds who are dealing with mental health and violence issues.
“So changing how we work identifying risk before police have to intervene, before somebody has to show up in an emergency room," says Kalinowski. “There’s a lot of gaps in between, and people are falling through them.”
It’s a program that first started in Saskatchewan in 2011, and one Windsor Police Chief Al Frederick applauds.
“This is trying to solve problems from the root causes and going forward as a better plan for the person to succeed," notes Frederick.
Supporters of the “Situation Table” believe this program will help lower crime rates.
The people who receive help cannot be identified, but officials say about 72 per cent of them have lowered their risk status.
Still, Kalinowski says it’s too early to determine the full success of the program.
