What if you could save a life? Just one life. Would you? For almost all of us the answer to these questions is an enthusiastic yes. Without question, regardless of anything, a life, just one life, is worth saving.
But what if saving that person’s life tested your political standpoints around drug use? Would that life still be worth saving? Across this country people are dying from legal and illegal drug use. Reliable statistics on drug overdoses across Canada are difficult to find, but research by the Ontario coroner shows that on average there is an overdose every day in our nation’s capital and 33 people a year die from overdose in Ottawa. Clearly, people who use drugs along with their family and friends, come face to face with death all the time. But what can be done? How can we save people? One answer lies in the way emergency services respond when they receive drug overdose emergency calls.
If you were to witness a heart attack, you would call 9-1-1 without hesitation. You would not think of the repercussions of making that call – someone is having a heart attack and their life needs to be saved. Now try to imagine how this scenario changes: it is not a heart attack, it is a drug overdose. Our research, published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Critical Social Work , shows that people who witness overdoses think very hard about the repercussions of making that call to 9-1-1. Sometimes these repercussions are too great – people will hesitate or not call at all.
Fear of arrest weighs heavily on this life or death decision. People legitimately fear the police showing up, being criminally charged for drug possession, and for mothers, having their children taken away. All of these consequences anxiously whirl around in the panicked mind of a witness. What happens? Over half of the people surveyed do not make the critical 9-1-1 call. Some may try to help the victim themselves, which sadly can have dangerous consequences. Street remedies can often make the situation worse. The longer someone waits for medical assistance the more likely that a life will be lost.
So what can be done? How can we save people? One idea used in Vancouver is to limit police involvement in routine overdose calls. The theory goes, if you don’t send the police there is no reason to fear calling 9-1-1. Unfortunately, this solution won’t work in many parts of Canada. In many cities and most rural communities the police are often the first responder and those in the best position to save an overdose victim’s life. A more feasible, Canada-wide option is Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Laws. These laws protect overdose victims and someone who calls 9-1-1 from arrest for being under the influence, simple drug possession, and possessing drug paraphernalia. They do not protect people from serious offenses such as trafficking. Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Laws exist in several American states. Preliminary evaluation of Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Laws out of the United States show that 88% of opiate users are aware of the law and are more likely to call 9-1-1.
Ultimately if we truly believe that every life is precious, then the answer is policy change. We need to reduce the barriers to calling 9-1-1 during routine drug overdoses by providing limited legal immunity through Good Samaritan Drug Overdoes Laws and we need to work on distributing naloxone across Canada, barrier-free. That life, that one life, would be saved.
If you ever are unfortunate enough to witness a drug overdose the correct course of action is to call 9-1-1, perform CPR if the victim has stopped breathing and administer naloxone if you have access to it.
Author: Kayla Follett is a Master of Social Work graduate, with the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis Centre. Her research on this topic was conducted during an internship with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, and was published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Critical Social Work (co-authored by Anthony Piscitelli, Michael Parkinson and Felix Munger).
A couple of years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to volunteer with the vulnerable sector here in Kitchener/Waterloo. Specifically, I volunteered with homeless youth under age 25. During this time I was able to get to know many of the youth and listen to their stories. My very first shift I went home an emotional wreck after having a conversation with a young girl not much older than my own daughter.
It wasn’t long before I became acutely aware of the higher incidence of drug use, mental health problems and criminal activity among this population.
Someone said to me one day, ‘they have a choice, we all have choices.’ My reply was ‘sure we all have choices but we have not all been given the same tools to make good choices. How can I compare myself, who grew up with 2 upstanding parents and all the social support a child should need to someone who was sexually abused from the time they could walk or someone who was given their first hit of crack by their own mother at the age of 16.’ Unfortunately many of our homeless population were not raised with good role models or a good set of standards. They once left the hospital as precious, innocent and adorable as any other infant. What they went home to however, is more often than not less than acceptable. Fast forward several years and we find an adult struggling with addiction, mental health issues and homelessness all leading to criminal activity.
Here we find the beginning of a two-way cycle. Those who are homeless have a higher probability of ending up in prison while those being released from prison have a higher likelihood of ending up homeless. Once someone has a criminal record it is very difficult to find a job no matter how hard they try to change their life around. Often the rejection turns them back to crime. The same goes for substance abuse where substance abuse often leads to homelessness and homelessness often leads to substance abuse. Addictions often cause someone to lose their job and housing. Using drugs or alcohol also becomes a way to cope with life on the street.
On the other side we have a society that is often quick to judge and quick to condemn often due to a lack of awareness. People feel uncomfortable with it and try to look the other way. It’s easier to make donations to charities such as to the food bank than to look in the face of a homeless person on the street.
While food banks and shelters do a great job of providing for immediate needs, they are merely band-aid solutions. They treat the immediate problem not the root of the problem. What we need is to create awareness for other fundamental necessities for tackling homelessness and the crime it brings with it.
We need a plan to create awareness of costs of providing stable housing versus the much higher costs of providing services to the homeless. (ie. Institution, shelters, healthcare, and social services) It is difficult for someone without a place to call home to receive and accept the help they need for addiction and mental health. Without this there is difficulty in reducing the crime rate. Those who seek treatment such as rehab often have nowhere else to go but back in the same street or shelter environment, making relapse highly likely. It’s a set-up for failure. When we provide those in need with stable housing we give the opportunity to live with dignity, reduce crime, reduce addiction and give the opportunity for better success. It is a win, win situation. The more people we help get into stable housing the less financial burden on society and less crime in our community. We build a system that encourages social competency. Give respect to gain respect. This is the message we need to get out. We need to put as much effort into creating awareness and fundraising for this as we do when collecting food and socks.
The diagram below shows the connection between homelessness, substance abuse, mental health, crime and unemployment. If we take homelessness out we have a better chance at battling the other problems.
Lets help society to see the person behind the face. Lets take the homeless away from the street environment and give them a place to call home and give them some dignity and a foundation in which to grow.
Author: Sheri Cartwright
In the past Sheri has volunteered with homeless youth in Kitchener at ROOF – Reaching Our Outdoor Friends. Currently she volunteers for the KW Youth Basketball Association as volunteer coordinator and coach. She also runs the Community Dialogue website and is involved in community building and creating awareness in hopes of helping to break down barriers and stereotypes to help create a healthier, safer community. She graduated from Health Studies at UW last year and recently started Dynamic Health Promotion.
Find more community responses from colleague’s in Waterloo Region who also work to reduce homelessness:
People who are homeless are far more likely to be victims of crime than are people who are housed. One Toronto study determined that 46% of homeless women and 39% of homeless men surveyed had been physically assaulted within the previous year. Homeless youth fared worst of all, with 69% reporting having been attacked. Another study found that sexual assaults against women who are homeless are both more frequent and more violent than those against women who are housed1. Preventing crimes against vulnerable people by supporting them as they move through homelessness to housing is one of the priorities of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo.
It goes almost without saying that the overarching cause of homelessness is poverty, but not all people who are poor become homeless. Not all people who become homeless stay that way for long. Some of the factors that make it more likely that poor people will become and stay homeless include mental illness, addiction, cognitive or physical disability, family breakdown and social isolation. And social isolation is a much bigger part of the destructive cycle of homelessness than most people realize.
People who are homeless can experience social isolation because they’re separated from their families and communities, because prejudice and fears about homelessness keep others at a distance, and sometimes because their own shame about their circumstances prevents them from reaching out to others. As their social isolation increases, over time their social skills can diminish, and with the erosion of their social skills can come the loss of even more of their already depleted circle of support. The absence of social support causes problems like higher rates of mental health issues and physical illnesses, increased use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, and engagement in risky sexual behaviours. Thus, social isolation doesn’t just worsen the pain of homelessness, it perpetuates and strengths the cycle itself.
Among our other programs, YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo offers emergency and transitional and permanent, affordable housing to women and families and trans individuals who are or have been persistently homeless. We try to build housing and supports that make the people whom we serve know that they are welcome and valued members of our community, because we believe that this knowledge is critical to their mental and physical well-being and to their future housing stability. So that we could better understand and enhance their experiences of social inclusion, over the winter and spring of 2013 we asked the tenants in one of our housing programs to join us over coffee and cookies in some conversations about community.
The women who came together had all been homeless prior to coming to our program. Some had been housed with us for as few as four months, others as many as 24 years. The women told us about the things we do well to foster their sense of belonging and about some things we should do better. And they told us that it was their building’s community feeling – not its bricks and mortar – that made them feel supported and secure. They said that it was having people to turn to in times of sickness or crisis, having people to encourage them to overcome their challenges and reach their goals, to share activities and interests, simply having people to talk to, that made them feel safe. It was, in the words of one woman, ‘knowing other people care’ that made them feel that they finally had a home.
YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo is privileged to have the resources to provide the buildings and the professional, formal supports that some people who are homeless require. But for just about all homeless people, informal social supports can make the experience of homelessness more bearable and much safer. For some people, such supports can be all it takes to break the cycle of homelessness. Share a meal with a diner at St. John’s Kitchen. Play a card game with a guest at an Out of the Cold site. Teach a new skill to a youth at ROOF. Stop and listen to the story of a woman on the street. Give of yourself, emotionally and practically, for just a few minutes or a few hours, to make a critical difference in the mental and physical health, happiness, confidence, stability and safety of a vulnerable person.
1. Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto, Research Bulletin #37, September 2007
Author: Elizabeth Clarke is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo, an multi-service organization that provides emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing to women, families and trans individuals who are homeless.
Find more community responses from Elizabeth’s colleague’s in Waterloo Region who also work to reduce homelessness:
Community members experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region, as in many other communities, are often looked upon with fear – they experience stigma and exclusion on a daily basis in addition to the other challenges of being without a home – including extreme poverty, hunger, mental illness, addiction, and trauma. A significant part of this stigma has to do with the perception of crime and risk associated with homelessness. Stigma and the perception of risk are very interesting things – I do a lot of community presentations, and when asked to describe the perception of a person experiencing homelessness and their lifestyle, the responses are very telling. I often hear terms like “poor”, “unhealthy”, “vulnerable”, “hungry” etc. I also hear terms like “criminal”, “violent”, and commonly, “nothing-to-lose”. Rarely, I hear “resourceful”, “strong”, and “determined”.
The thing is, we know that if a person experiencing homelessness does commit a crime and is charged, it is most frequently with minor property theft, by-law violations, or substance related charges. Despite the perception of risk and the belief that a person may have nothing to lose, violent crime is not strongly associated with homelessness, and many people experiencing homelessness are actively engaged in supporting their families and the community.
The research on homelessness and crime supports the cause and effect perspective rather than a predisposition to criminal activity – that when any individual has little or no money, food, shelter, or safety and is excluded from the formal economy, that person may turn to quasi-legal sources of income generation (panhandling, squeegeeing, sex trade etc.) or illegal activities (theft, drug dealing) to make money and survive. This does often result in charges, but it doesn’t seem all that surprising given the context, and doesn’t support the perception of risk that surrounds the issue of homelessness.
At Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW), we provide permanent and supportive housing to 33 individuals who have experienced persistent homelessness and barriers to housing. We have seen the results of housing stability and appropriate supports for many of the people who call SHOW home in the form of reduced interactions with police and the justice system, increased personal safety and stability, and improved health through housing and food stability. We, at SHOW, share the concern of our community about the minor property theft, bylaw violations, and substance related offences being committed by individuals experiencing homelessness, and believe that being accepted and engaged in a community, having food stability, support, and an affordable place to live are great ways for us as a community to address this concern.
We are also concerned with the fact that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to be victims of crime than those with homes. As we saw in the Snapshot in Time report, the numbers of people accessing emergency shelters are rising. We know that in addition to that, there are many people unstably or inappropriately housed, couch surfing, moving from short-term residence to short-term residence, and living on the streets unsheltered. From 2011 data we know that wait-lists are long (3,280 households were on the Community Housing Waiting List), vacancy rates are low (1.7% – far below the ideal of 3%), and rental costs are high, especially when compared to minimum wage and social assistance rates (average market rent for a one-bedroom was $751.00 – minimum wage was $10.25, and the monthly shelter allowance for a person on OW was $372.00 and $474.00 for ODSP)1.
That means that a lot of people in our community are particularly vulnerable to crime and victimization due to inappropriate and unaffordable housing and a lack of support. Compared to the housed, people experiencing homelessness have more often been the victims of physical and sexual abuse as children, and victims of family violence and spousal assault as adults. Those without adequate shelter are also more likely than the housed to be victims of violence and, for women, victims of sexual assault. According to an Institute for the Prevention of Crime report on homelessness and victimization, providing housing as well as appropriate social and income supports to end homelessness are the best approaches for addressing crime and victimization associated with homelessness.
At SHOW, we agree, and we look forward to continuing to work with our community to meet the housing, support, and safety needs of all of our neighbours.
1. 2011 data pulled from the HHUG Annual Report Card, 2012.
Author: Lindsay Klassen holds a BA and MSW as well as a Certificate of Leadership and Management from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is the Program Manager at Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW). SHOW provides housing first and harm reduction support for individuals who have experienced persistent homelessness. Lindsay brings her personal and professional dedication to working with SHOW to provide individuals with the opportunity and supports to find a place to call home.
Find more community responses from Lindsay’s colleagues in Waterloo Region who also work to reduce homelessness:
In the past two years there has been a sharp increase in both the number of people using emergency shelters and the number of shelter bed nights, which means more people are using shelters and they are staying longer. When I look at this homelessness statistics presented by WRCPC’s Snapshot on Crime, I experience a range of reactions.
I am angry because having people homeless in Canada is just poor social policy. Studies have quantified that the costs of having people homeless are more than the cost of having people housed with adequate supports. The Real Costs of Homelessness illustrates this point exactly.
Each level of government is contributing dollars and policy toward ending homelessness. In the new Federal Budget, 5 year funding was announced for two programs- one that provides supports for people experiencing homelessness and another that provides capital funding for new affordable housing. While these announcements are gratefully received, there is not enough funding attached to get serious about ending homelessness. There is still no Federal Housing strategy. Canada is the only G8 country without such a policy.
The Ontario government now requires each municipality to have a homelessness and housing plan. They have recently amalgamated a number of funding programs which allows municipalities to create responses to local needs. This is all good. However, there was also a decrease in funding and again while all money helps, it is not enough to really solve the problem.
Locally, the Region of Waterloo has provided funding that exceeds the provincial average for supports to those who are experiencing housing issues. However, as their funding base is the smallest, realistically there are limits to their ability to pay for an end to homelessness.
I am angry because we know about the problem and we know how to fix it. What we lack is political will on the part of government and a prioritization of this issue by the general public. As a result, people in our community continue to live in substandard, unaffordable and inadequate housing.
Like many things, my personal viewpoint has been impacted over years of having conversations with people who are living the experience. For me it is no longer a theoretical issue. It is about real people in Waterloo Region who are struggling to have a place to live. As I think about all of the people I have met over the years, the increasing number of shelter users leaves me feeling sad. Canadian comedian Rick Mercer has a rant on homelessness where he talks about how no one aspires to have “homeless” be their career. When I look at some of the people with the most challenging difficulties, I think about how, at one stage, this person was someone’s child. Hopefully, someone held that child and had hopes and dreams for them. Never would the goal have been homelessness. I have seen how poverty and homelessness wears people down. Mental health and addictions start or become exacerbated. Hope and determination are often victims of this reality as well.
Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child Canada describes her experiences in international development work as going from the inexperienced naïve belief that she could really make a difference, to feeling defeated in the face of such overwhelming obstacles and situations and then beginning a journey to discover what it was she could actually do. This is not unlike my journey through working with people who are experiencing homelessness and the systems that respond to this issue. I don’t have either the financial means to pay for affordable housing or the skills to build it. However, I can talk and write about the issues. I can start conversations. I can read the research, stay up to date and keep learning. I can take the time to talk with people who are experiencing homelessness to learn more about their journey, what they want and need and to help develop a way to meet those needs.
This is not a battle that I am waging on my own. Every day dedicated, bright, compassion people work in a range of services from street outreach, shelters, housing help, specialized housing programs, legal services, support services, subsidized and supportive housing, all with the aim creating a more just and inclusive society where everyone matters. They are joined by a mountain of community volunteers who show up and share their gifts and talents.
When I look at the shelter usage stats I also feel determined. I feel part of a sector where I join in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness and many community members who together stand up to say – people who are homeless matter. We collectively are committed to ending homelessness in Waterloo Region. This is a lofty goal, which will take much persistence and hard work, but with the determination and skills of this community, I believe it is possible.
Author: Lynn Macaulay is the staff person with theHomelessness and Housing Umbrella Group (HHUG), a network of people concerned about homelessness and affordable housing in Waterloo Region. She lives in Waterloo with her two cats, Simon and Isabella and enjoys reading mystery novels.
Find more community responses from Lynn’s colleagues in Waterloo Region, who also work to reduce homelessness:
Posted on: August 18th, 2013 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Individuals facing homelessness are more likely to become victims of crime and/or engage in criminal activity than individuals with stable housing. If charged with a criminal offence homeless individuals are typically charged with minor property crimes and drug offences. It is fair to say that their vulnerability for victimization is of most concern in this context.
The number of individuals accessing emergency shelters rose 10% and the number of emergency shelter nights rose by 17% in 2011. These are significant increases after two years of relative stability. These dramatic increases are cause for concern and warrant on-going attention. Homelessness can also be seen as an extreme manifestation of poverty and form of community exclusion. These factors impact quality of life and are affecting greater numbers of people in Waterloo Region.
Posted on: June 12th, 2013 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
The 2013 Ontario Budget was passed in the Ontario legislature on Tuesday June 11, 2013. The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council always looks to the budget through the ‘smart on crime’ lens of crime prevention. The 2013 budget presents some interesting spending and ‘non-spending’ as it relates to crime prevention. We look for information with an eye for the root causes of crime which are economic factors, social environment and family structures. The economic factors we look for include poverty, employment & educational opportunities, and housing. The social environment relates to social inequalities, support to families and neighbourhoods, accessibility to services, and children & youth well-being. The family structures may include parenting challenges & conflict, parental, spousal or children criminality, lack of communication, respect and responsibility, abuse or neglect of children, and family violence.
We have reviewed the budget and analyzed where it will directly or indirectly affect crime prevention through the root causes of crime. Here are few key highlights supporting crime prevention:
Health: Health is an important category to crime prevention because it targets the social environment which individuals live and supports family structures.
Funding growing to $93 million per year by 2013-24 for the Comprehensive Mental Health and Addiction Strategy which focuses on
Early intervention, community-based counseling, employment training, supportive housing, prevention of and treatment for substance abuse and problem gambling
Developing a narcotics monitoring system to reduce the abuse of prescription narcotics and controlled substance medication
Creating 23 health care links across the province to encourage greater collaboration and coordination by a patient’s different health care providers
Education: Education is an all around important part of crime prevention. It supports better economic factors, by increasing an individual’s chance for employment and health. It also provides a better social environment and leads to stronger family structures.
Government will work with the education sector to broaden measure of success to include higher-order skills such as:
Character, citizenship, communication, collaboration and teamwork, critical-thinking and problem-solving, creativity and innovation, entrepreneurialism, connection to postsecondary education and careers
$12.6 million over 3 years for the expansion of summer learning programs
Employment: Employment is very important for improving economic factors; it leads to a positive social environment and better family structures.
$195 million over 2 years for the Ontario Youth Employment Fund
Employment opportunities for 25,000 youth in Ontario
$200 from the first employment earnings can now be saved by recipients of Ontario Works and ODSP
Poverty: Poverty is directly linked to economic factors that may cause crime. Addressing poverty help to reduce economic factors that may lead to crime and improve the social environment in which people live.
Reduce child poverty by %25 by continuing the 5-year Poverty Reduction Strategy, which includes:
5-year extension of the Investment in Affordable Housing program announced in the 2013 federal budget, this should provide funding for:
Construction & renovation of affordable housing units, home ownership assistance, rent supplements, shelter allowances, renovation & repair of accommodation for victims of family violence
Aboriginal Peoples: Aboriginal Peoples are a large part of our population and are an important factor in preventing crime. Support and improvements to Aboriginal Peoples directly affects all the root causes of crime – economic factors, social environment and family structures.
$5 million per year to improve student achievement and explore strategies for successful transition from on-reserve schools to provincially funded schools
Develop a multi-year Aboriginal Children and Youth Strategy, which will focus on:
Building community driven, integrated and culturally appropriate supports to help Aboriginal children and young people group up healthy and reach their full potential
$4 million for 40 front-line positions for First Nation police services
Policing and Crime Prevention: policing and crime prevention are key ways to prevent crime directly. Funding and support are essential in order to create a social environment in which people feel safe and productive, improving economic factors and creating positive family structures.
$12.5 million annually for Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy and the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy which focus on:
Intervention, prevention, enforcement, and community mobilization strategies such as dedicated neighbourhood police officers
Currently 17 police services participate in PAVIS
$30 million over 3 years to Legal Aid Ontario, strengthening the capacity of Family Law Service Centres and other community legal clinics across Ontario
Children and Youth: Children and youth are the future of society and are directly related to crime prevention. In order to improve the future economic factors, social environments and family structures we need to work directly with the children and youth within our society.
Ontario Early Year Policy Framework – implement full-day kindergarten and support child care system
Youth Action Plan (& Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities) – increase the number of Youth Outreach Workers
Areas the budget is not supporting crime prevention:
NO mention of C-10 – this is important for crime prevention as it has direct impacts economic factors, for example personal taxes and employment insurance. The fact that the budget did not mention this is concerning to crime prevention as it will continue to be part of federal legislation.
raise awareness and generate a dialogue on crime prevention in Ontario;
highlight the opportunities to move forward;
set the stage for the development of further crime prevention work with will build and enhance crime prevention partnerships, encourage the development of coordinated, multi-sectorial responses and promote community leadership and participation in crime prevention.
The fact that the budget does not mention this is noteworthy for future crime prevention as we intend to and assume the province intends to participate and follow the Ontario Crime Prevention Framework.
NO mention of how Ontario will pay for prisons – the document “Funding Requirement and Impact of the ‘Truth in Sentencing Act’” prepared by Rajakar A., and Mathilakath, R. states, “[…] the cost of new construction stemming from “Truth in Sentencing Act” will be borne in the proportion of approximately 21% to 22% by the federal GC, and 78% to 79% by the provincial governments.” The fact that our provincial budget does not discuss the costs or spending related to prison construction is noteworthy for future crime prevention. It is important to understand how the province is planning to fund the construction of new prisons and support the social environment and economic factors directly related to this.
ONLY 60% of Drummond report recommendations being implemented – The Drummond report, “‘The Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services’” was established in 2011 to provide advice to the government on how to deliver the most effective and efficient public services possible[…]” (from 2013 Ontario Budget, page 111). This is important for crime prevention because it is directly related to the root causes of crime and crime prevention.
When reviewing the budget it is important to note all the areas it will support crime prevention and the areas that are lacking in support of crime prevention. The lens of crime prevention allows us to view the budget critically to assess how and where it will directly and indirectly affect the work we are currently doing and the work we plan to do in the future to address the root causes of crime.
Author: Alexandra Kraushaar
Placement Student, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, is currently at University of Waterloo working towards an Honours degree in Knowledge Integration with Minors in International Development and Economics. Summer Placement Student at the Crime Prevention Council to gain valuable experience in community and social development. When I am not at school or at my placement, I can be found in St. Clements riding my horse. I am a passionate equestrian enthusiast, competing in Dressage throughout Canada and the US.
Posted on: April 24th, 2013 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
This is the official position statement of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council given at a public consultation on the question of a casino in the City of Kitchener. The remarks below were given by WRCPC Executive Director, Christiane Sadeler on behalf of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight on the topic of a casino in Kitchener or the Waterloo Region. I am representing the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council; I also live in downtown Kitchener.
The Crime Prevention Council opposes the opening of a casino within Waterloo Region. However, in the event that a casino should be opened here, we recommend that the development and operations of the casino must incorporate crime prevention considerations and harm reduction strategies from the very beginning.
We have provided you with a full copy of the position statement and also included some materials that we believe are relevant in this context. The position statement is also available on our website (www.preventingcrime.ca). In the interest of time I can only highlight a few aspects of the position.
There has been no dialogue that did NOT at some point mention the concern that crimes increase in the proximity of casinos. Your own city online survey mentions safety along with considerations of health, city image and so on. Fear of long term impact on our quality of life is often as detrimental as crime itself. Perceptions can become reality. Right or wrong the connection between casinos and crime is part of public discourse. And perceptions are hard to change. We know that by now.
But what does the evidence tell us?
This is where it gets a little more grey. The research findings about a connection between crime and casinos are mixed, if not inconclusive. It would not be correct to claim that casinos have a DIRECT impact on crime, at least not an impact that would differ from that of other large entertainment facilities, at first sight. Direct links between crime and any one community action are hard to come by and must always be seen in the context of decreasing crime rates in the last decade.
We therefore must look beyond the direct connections to what we know about risks. What puts us at risk of crime, victimization, and fear of crime? It is here that the public health research is compelling and worthy of your in-depth consideration. We know that over 30% of profits in gambling come from problem gamblers and those at risk for gambling addictions. We know that these individuals share characteristics that are best defined as root causes of crime. We have detailed them in our position statement along with a report about root causes. We encourage you to consult both.
Simply put, whenever we increase the vulnerability of those already at risk, the financial and human burden to them and their families are quickly matched by the community and social costs. While casinos may not directly lead to increases in street level crime, they do lead to increases in other social ills and crimes, such as, intimate partner violence, addictions, etc. From a prevention standpoint these should concern us as much as public safety and disorder issues.
Problem gambling erodes the health of individuals and those close to them and by extension, of the communities in which they live.
The Ontario Lottery Gaming Commission does not deny that gambling addictions exist and that they come at a cost. These are brochures that are provided right at the Windsor Casino entrance, alerting patrons to these risks.
So, gambling facilities come with warning label. They also come with treatment recommendations if the warning labels were not effective. This is not forward thinking. This is resigning ourselves to the fact that along with these facilities will come problems.
Prevention is cross-generational. Are we OK with a baby born in 2013 becoming the casino patron of 2033? If the answer is, even remotely, “we are not sure”, then we need to hit pause and look more deeply at the research and the rationale for considering a casino here in the first place. Will the benefits justify the costs? Are we informed by the “8-80” concept? Is it a good decision for the 8 year old in our community AND for the 80 year old in our community no matter what walks of life they come from?
Most people who gamble may not engage in criminal activities. But those at risk of gambling addictions are vulnerable to many other issues that come at a social cost, crime among them.
We believe that for the crimes committed by the offender he or she is responsible; for not dealing with the root causes of crime when these are known to us, all of us are responsible.
However, if the decision is to bring a casino to our city the Crime Prevention Council recommends that prevention and harm reduction methods are included in the development and operations from the very beginning. In the position paper, we have outlined 12 harm reduction recommendations. These include considerations about alcohol consumption, placement of ATM machines, opening hours, self exclusion programs etc. The first recommendation is to establish a region wide advisory group with expertise in problem gambling prevention to provide input from the beginning, including during the RFP process.
In conclusion, the decision that you are faced with, in the mind of the Crime Prevention Council, is not to be taken lightly. It is a decision that will affect the well being of generations beyond all of us present here tonight. Waterloo Region is one of the safest and ultimately prosperous communities in Canada. We have become known for innovation and forward thinking. There is little innovative about a casino. We are on a solid path of creating and maintaining a safe and healthy community. It is hard to imagine that we can lose by passing on the idea of a casino. It is easier to imagine what we might lose if we take this on.
Thank you for your time and we wish you well in your decision making.
Posted on: December 17th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
I’ve been asked this question. Not these “exact’ words, but it certainly felt that way when I was asked to ‘provide a rationale’ as to why we use yoga as part of our programs at inREACH, a street gang prevention program in Waterloo Region. Here’s the rationale I gave… which also seems to be backed up by a lot of good solid evidence.
All of the youth we work with at inREACH have deficits in the area of emotion regulation. In its most problematic form this may result in anger and aggression which can cause them to come into conflict with the law; less obviously, but just as seriously, many of the same youth suffer from chronic anxiety and depression. Additionally, many of the youth turn to heavy substance use as the only tool at their disposal to manage powerful feelings. In order for youth to reduce their drug use and manage their emotions well enough to enable them to make good choices when problem solving, they must learn self-calming techniques.
Yoga teaches relaxation and breathing techniques which youth are able to use in a variety of settings as strategies to regulate their stress-response system. By decreasing their level of physiological arousal (heart rate, blood pressure) youth are able to increase their capacity to stay calm in stressful situations and thus make better choices about their behaviour. Evidence suggests that yoga can reduce maladaptive nervous system arousal, thus making it easier for youth to strengthen healthy coping strategies and reduce their dependence on substances to maintain emotional equilibrium. As a result of its efficacy, yoga is increasingly being offered in accredited children’s mental health treatment centres such as Lutherwood in Waterloo, in custody facilities such as Roy McMurtry Youth Centre in Bramptom, and in community-based gang prevention programs, such as Breaking the Cycle in Rexdale.
One of the best parts of working on the inREACH project has been the opportunity to collaborate with local service providers, businesses and community residents to expose the young people we work with to experiences that they would not otherwise have access to. The results have sometimes been surprising. For example, last winter we began working with Meaghan Johnson at Queen Street Yoga to teach yoga and mindfulness to one of our groups for young people at-risk for gang activity.
The youth we work with have responded very well to the experience. We found that by beginning our groups with yoga and mindfulness exercises they were more grounded and focused for the psycho-educational material that followed. Many learned that they could use breathing as a strategy in stressful situations, while others continued to practice yoga on their own time. Beyond the tools they may have taken from it, however, all were able to experience what, to me, is the most powerful aspect of yoga – accepting and honouring who you are, in your body, at this particular moment in time, without judgment.
Now, I could have provided a purely economic rationale for teaching yoga to “thugs”. Something along the lines of… Yoga – 1 teacher @ $100/hour x 6 sessions/5 youth = $600.00 ($120 per youth ) Incarceration – 5 youth @ $350/day x 5/days = $8,750 ($1,750per youth)
… and let the math speak for itself.
However, wouldn’t you rather see a young person who can understand the connection between emotional triggers and behaviour, self-regulate emotions with consciousness, make healthy decisions and learn body awareness techniques that can be used for a lifetime?
I know I would. I believe our community would be a safer place if more of our young people had the opportunity for this kind of experience.
This is an excellent talk from New Leaf Yoga teacher Laura Sygrove about the power of yoga to connect the mind & body in very practical ways and start a healing journey in a healthy constructive way.
Author: Shanna Braden is a social worker at Lutherwood who works for inREACH, a collaborative project of local community partners to prevent gang activity in the Region of Waterloo.
When you have the opportunity to learn from someone who has ‘been there’… take it! This week, we had the honour of welcoming and hosting Jamie Courtorielle in Waterloo Region. Jamie is cycling across Canada in order to raise awareness about addictions and the destruction it is causing in our families, communities, and most of all, our youth. Jamie spent 3 days in our communities visiting youth programs like R.O.O.F and inREACH, meeting area politicians and spending time at the Weejeendimin Native Resource Centre. Our regular guest blogger, Frank Johnson, sat down with Jamie one afternoon to pick his brain on a few questions.
Author: Sheri Cartwright
Author: Elizabeth Clarke is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo, an multi-service organization that provides emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing to women, families and trans individuals who are homeless.
Author: Lindsay Klassen holds a BA and MSW as well as a Certificate of Leadership and Management from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is the Program Manager at Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW). SHOW provides housing first and harm reduction support for individuals who have experienced persistent homelessness. Lindsay brings her personal and professional dedication to working with SHOW to provide individuals with the opportunity and supports to find a place to call home. 
Author: Lynn Macaulay is the staff person with the 
We have reviewed the budget and analyzed where it will directly or indirectly affect crime prevention through the root causes of crime. Here are few key highlights supporting crime prevention:
