SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 2
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
AUGUST 1, 1996
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.
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* These offices have already received City of Vancouver
start-up grants of $6,000 each.
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.
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 govern-ment 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; and
- there is an onus on the other levels of government to
contribute to the operation;
Disadvantages are:
safety office staff and volunteers spend more time on fundraising
than delivering crime prevention programs;
there may be closure of existing offices due to financial
difficulties; and
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 partner-ships;
- 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:
safety office staff and volunteers spend more time on
fundraising activities for sustaining funds - e.g., rent,
staff, rather than on program delivery;
there may be closure of existing offices because of their
inability to raise sustaining funds;
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; and
- gives stability to community safety offices.
Disadvantages:
once the City is into core funding, it is difficult to
terminate its funding;
may encourage other communities with questionable crime
problems to start a community safety office;
evaluation of output is more difficult;
creates another service delivery system for the City to
sustain;
community has less motivation to generate operating funds
from local area; and
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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