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ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: July 9, 1996
Dept. File No. VPD
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: City Manager, Chief Constable,
Director of Community Services-Social Planning, and
General Manager of Corporate Services
SUBJECT: Funding of Community Crime Prevention Programs
Through Community Safety Offices
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve in principle providing program
funds to Community Crime Prevention Offices (Option
II of this report), with an annual grant program of
$150,000, subject to negotiating matching funding
from the Provincial Government on an on-going basis
(minimum of three years).
B. THAT Council instruct staff to consult with the
community safety offices and report back on a grant
review process for approval by Council.
C. THAT Council approve a one-time grant of $6,000 each
to the Fraser Street Crime Prevention Office, and the
Kitsilano Crime Prevention Office; with the source of
funds to be 1996 "Other" grants budget. This would
be the final allocation of the one-time grant fund.
COUNCIL POLICY
City Council, on September 27, 1994, considered and endorsed an
information report from the Chief Constable on community based
policing. The report dealt with ten strategies in implementing
community based policing, and that the preferred model for
community policing is storefront operations staffed by
volunteers, and with minimal financial support from the City.
Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes of Council.
PURPOSE
This report outlines different options for Council's
consideration in providing financial support for crime
prevention programs through community safety offices, subject
to receiving matching funding from the Provincial Government
and community safety offices, and to recommend approval of the
final two one-time start-up grants.
BACKGROUND
The City has been providing support to local groups involved
with community policing for a number of years. The City has
provided grants to the Chinatown Community Police Service
Centre since 1993, and the Vancouver Police and Native Liaison
society since 1990. More recently, since 1994, Council has
approved ten one-time start-up grants of $6,000 each to the
community crime prevention offices to assist in the development
of their program. On October 26, 1995, after approving the
last $6,000 grant to the Downtown Eastside Residents'
Association, Council authorized staff to conduct a review of
the City's involvement in supporting crime prevention
activities before further resources are allocated to the
development of more or new offices.
There are a variety of challenges confronting all parties
involved in the community police program. Some of the offices
have better financial support from businesses or volunteers,
and are able to maintain their programs with little
difficulties. A few of the offices have chosen to hire paid
staff and rent space, and therefore have to spend considerable
amount of their effort fundraising which could affect their
level of service delivery. The Police Department allocates
their limited human resources by providing staff liaison to
these offices. They may have difficulty continuing to do so if
the number of the community safety offices is to increase
significantly. On the other hand, both the Chinatown Community
Police Service Centre and the Vancouver Police and Native
Liaison Society rely heavily on provincial funding to support
their operations. The three-year funding agreement for both
organizations will end in March, 1997, and in the absence of
clear commitment from the Provincial Government, both
organizations have taken steps to review their operations and
discuss the issue of long term sustainability.
On April 9, 1996, the Provincial Ministry of Attorney-General
advised the City that they are prepared to commit $20,000 to
each of the qualifying community safety offices in Vancouver,
on the understanding that these funds would be matched on a
dollar for dollar basis by the City. City staff believe that
the on-going financial difficulty of some of the community
police offices can only be resolved if an equitable program can
be developed and partnered with the Province and the community.
With input from the community, development and evaluation
criteria of community safety offices have been developed. A
community crime prevention/safety office is a place where
citizens work in conjunction with members of the Vancouver
Police Department to address crime, disorder and public safety
issues in their community.
A community safety office is intended to complement regular
public safety services by:
- developing and delivering needed crime prevention programs
with the Vancouver Police Department
- serving as a vehicle for increased communication between
community members and their police to build trust and
understanding
- working closely with the police and community in
formulating strategies to alleviate identified crime and
disorder problems; and
- encouraging citizens to take action needed to help make
their communities safer.
In establishing a safety office, the community group, in
working with the Police, must assess the following:
- there is identifiable crime, disorder or public safety
concerns likely to be alleviated by the activities of
volunteers working with police out of a safety office;
- there is broad based community support for the safety
office which may include the police, community
organizations, businesses, government agencies, residents
and schools;
- the safety office is operated by a community group/board
that is representative of the community;
- the community group/board shall produce a three-year plan
for the operation, financing, and volunteer development of
the office;
- the community group/board must demonstrate how its service
delivery can meet the needs of the diverse population in
the community;
- there is willingness to work with the police to develop
performance measurements to evaluate the effectiveness of
the safety office service delivery.
There are currently three different types of offices in
Vancouver communities working with the VPD to provide crime
prevention services - crime prevention offices, neighbourhood
police offices, and police community service centre/
storefronts.
These offices have developed over the last few years.
Crime Prevention Offices are identified in the following
communities:
- *Joyce Street
- *Mt. Pleasant
- *Britannia
- *Riley Park/Little Mountain
- *Broadway Station
- Fraserview
- Kitsilano
The offices are established and run by the community, with
volunteers and/or paid staff. They offer programs such as
Block Watch, and crime prevention education programs. The
Police provide liaison officers who work with the community in
problem-solving crime in their local communities. Funding for
these offices has come from the Province and through the
community's own fundraising.
Neighbourhood Police Offices have been established in
partnership with neighbourhood agencies or businesses, and
include the following:
- *West End Community Centre
- *Waterfront, 900 West Cordova Street
- Yaletown
- *900 Granville Street
- Strathcona
- *Gastown
- *Downtown Eastside
These offices provide services similar to crime prevention
offices with the addition of direct police services provided by
assigned full-time neighbourhood safety officers. Each office
has a community advisory board and there are volunteers
involved in the operation of their programs.
The City of Vancouver has provided $6,000 start-up grants for
some office development. Total allocated funds to date are
$60,000. New funding has now been applied for by Fraserview
and Kitsilano, and staff is recommending that the two one-time
start-up grants be approved for the last time and the start-up
grant program be terminated.
* These offices have already received City of Vancouver
start-up grants of $6,000 each.
Police Community Service Centre/Storefronts are culturally
specific police services:
- Vancouver Police Native Liaison Society
- Chinatown Police Community Services Centre
These offices provide a broader range of police services,
including crime prevention, victim/witness assist counselling,
and minor crime reporting. The offices also act as the access
point for the culturally specific community, who, without the
storefront, may not seek help or protection. The storefronts
are funded by the Province and the City. The Police provide
liaison officers.
Council has supported the operation of these two storefronts by
a grant in 1996 (cash and in-kind) for $40,000 respectively.
DISCUSSION
There is increasing pressure from local communities and from
the Provincial Government for the City of Vancouver to provide
some form of on-going financial support for the community
safety offices. City staff have discussed many options with
the Coalition of Crime Prevention Offices and staff from the
Attorney-General's office.
Option I - Maintaining Current Status
The City currently provides $6,000 for the initial start-up
costs of a community safety office, meeting criteria set out by
the VPD and City Council. Council's rationale is that while
supporting the offices' initial development, there is, as well,
a very significant contribution being made through policing
staff and through neighbourhood integrated service teams to the
operations of safety offices. The City also contributes
facilities such as those offices that are in City facilities,
such as the West End and Britannia Community Centre
Neighbourhood Police Offices.
Safety offices receive funding from other sources for their
operations. This includes contributions from local merchants,
fundraising activities such as casinos and bingo, as well as
program dollars from the Provincial Government.
The advantages to maintaining the current status are:
- there is no continuing direct cost to civic government to
maintaining the operations of the community safety office
- the community is clear about the City's contribution in
the area of community based policing
- there is an onus on the community to generate support for
the office
- there is an onus on the other levels of government to
contribute to the operation
Disadvantages are:
o safety office staff and volunteers spend more time on
fundraising than delivering crime prevention programs
o there may be closure of existing offices due to financial
difficulties
o negative impact on positive relationship between Police
and the community because of no direct dollars from the
City towards community policing offices
Option II - Provide Program Funds
The City will provide grant funding to support specific crime
prevention activities for community safety offices. The City
will also encourage and assist in negotiating for rent-free
space in City facilities such as community centres and
libraries, for operation of community safety offices. Grant
application review will take place on an annual basis.
Advantages:
- allows the City to consider funding programs delivered by
all community safety offices - CPO, NPO, and
ethno-specific storefronts under the same specific
criteria
- acknowledges the community efforts and the need for other
government funding to create a partnership
- funds could provide assistance in specific program areas
such as crime prevention education and activities,
organizing volunteers, programs that bridge and support
police and community partnerships
- forces community groups to examine closely what the real
needs are, what they can afford, and will deter any group
from starting an operation just because there are funds
available
- allows us to adjust our funding commitment according to
matching funds available and the changing needs of the
community
- by funding program specific activities, the City of
Vancouver has the ability to evaluate the proposals and
fund according to the community needs (e.g. consideration
of the support from the community, the socio-economic
make-up of the neighbourhood)
- program activities that are delivered with specific
anticipated outcomes will give us the ability to measure
the success of the program
Disadvantages:
o safety office staff and volunteers spend more time on
fundraising activities for sustaining funds - e.g. rent,
staff, rather than on program delivery
o there may be closure of existing offices because of their
inability to raise sustaining funds
o requires a partnership arrangement by the City, the
Province and the community which may not be sustainable
over the long-term.
Option III - Provide Sustaining Funds to Support Long-Term
Operations of the Offices
Provides core operating funds for community safety offices on
an on-going basis.
Advantages: - demonstrates the City's full commitment to the operation
of community safety offices by providing long-term core
funding
- gives stability to community safety offices
Disadvantages:
o once the City is into core funding, it is difficult to
terminate its funding
o may encourage other communities with questionable crime
problems to start a community safety office
o evaluation of output is more difficult
o creates another service delivery system for the City to
sustain
o community has less motivation to generate operating funds
from local area.
o Provincial Government is reluctant to provide on-going
core operating funds.
STAFF AND ORGANIZATION IMPLICATIONS
The designation of a specific grant program for community
safety offices has positive implications for staff in Finance,
the Police Department and Social Planning, in coordinating a
consistent response to the community for funds. Forging a
long-term strategy with the Province will be beneficial to the
City and to the community.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
In the last few months, the Provincial Government has provided
emergency operating grants to financially strapped safety
offices. These grants will enable the safety offices to
operate at the current service level until a more permanent
funding arrangement is negotiated with the City.
It is intended that the new grant program, if approved, would
be implemented in January, 1997. This will provide continuous
cashflow to the safety offices and allow sufficient time for
staff to develop the review process with the affected groups.
It will form part of the "Other" grant budget with a 1997
budget allocation of $150,000, to be administered by the
Director of Finance, in consultation with other City staff and
Provincial Government staff. In 1995, the Council approved
funding level to the safety offices was about $124,000; $80,000
for Chinatown and Native, and in addition, eight $6,000 grants.
The proposed $150,000 would be in keeping with Council's
current commitment and the increased number of offices that
have come on stream.
CONCLUSION
Staff is seeking Council's endorsement of one of the options
outlined above, in order to proceed with discussions with the
community and the Province.
Staff is recommending Option II, with a proviso that these
funds are matched by the Provincial Government and the
community.
Initial discussions have taken place with Social Planning and
Finance about the grant process that could be used. Social
Planning and Finance will report back to Council in September,
outlining the process which could begin in January, 1997.
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