Glengarry safety initiative shows crime is down, but agencies say lasting change takes time

CBC

11 hours ago

It's been a year since Windsor police launched a multi-agency initiative to tackle crime in the Glengarry neighbourhood and while police statistics show significant improvement, community agencies say lasting change will take time.
This week, Windsor police released numbers showing the initiative led to a 63 per cent decrease in drug crimes, a 45 per cent decrease in property crimes, a 38 per cent decrease in crimes against people, and a 14 per cent decrease in calls for service. Total arrests increased by 33 per cent.
The initiative was launched a year ago after complaints about crime and disorder from Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation (WECHC) residents.
Police set up a dedicated police office in Glengarry and partnered with 18 community groups including local hospitals, the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, the Canadian Mental Health Association - Windsor-Essex County and Family Services Windsor-Essex to connect residents with health care, mental health supports and crime prevention resources.
"There's been a definite improvement," said Jerrod Lafler, who has lived in the area for three years. He says he's noticed fewer people openly using drugs or trespassing in the neighbourhood.
He also says he notices crime-related incidents from people outside the neighbourhood.
But Michael Duke, a resident of six years, says he hasn't seen crime drop in his area at all. He points to frequent fights, ambulance calls, and drug-related issues in the community.
"Why do we need to be in this mess? Why do we have to be forced to live in a place like this?" said Duke, adding that he believes crime has gotten worse since the city opened the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) service centre for people experiencing homelessness in the former Water World building in 2020.
Residents feel disconnect
Tenants are staying housed longer and buildings feel safer, but the area's proximity to downtown and the H4 centre means issues tied to homelessness and mental health still spill into the neighbourhood, says Nolan Goyette, the chief tenant services officer at WECHC.
"I suspect that's what some of our tenants are seeing," said Goyette.
Change takes time, more people reaching out for support
Some residents may not feel things have gotten better as a whole but neighbourhood-wide change takes time, says Nicole Sbrocca, the CEO of CMHA Windsor-Essex.
She says the initiative's biggest success has been in removing barriers for residents by bringing services directly in the neighbourhood.
"What our services are seeing is more people are reaching out for support," Sbrocca said.
She says since last year, the CHMA has held about seven large events plus ongoing smaller outreach. Each big event draws hundreds of residents, many accessing services for the first time. In July, they made 121 mental health and addictions referrals and set up 51 safety plans.
"We're bringing primary care right into the community. So if you have an ailment, you can talk to a nurse. If you want to check your blood pressure, you're worried about diabetes, our team is there on site to do that for you," said Sbrocca.
She also says the team has built trust in the community.
"They will come up and say, 'I was here a few months back, this is what I need now,'" said Sbrocca.
Initiative being replicated in other parts of Windsor
Goyette says the initiative has laid the groundwork for long-term change and is already being replicated at other housing sites across Windsor-Essex.
"Previously, there wasn't necessarily services directly on site that tenants could access in regular intervals," said Goyette.
Now, he says, tenants are able to access up to 30 providers on site.
He says the close proximity to H4 comes with challenges, and there needs to be more investments to address the city's homelessness population.
"There's a more systematic change that's going to be needed before you know, we're going to see, I think that the level of change that maybe our tenants or the community wants to see," said Goyette.
He says more organizations are also joining the effort, noting United Way will soon be based at 333 Glengarry.