Latest news with #DowntownWindsorCommunityCollaborative
CTV News
06-07-2025
- CTV News
SUPIE program returns to Windsor's Mitchell Park
Mitchell Park in the area of Giles Boulevard and Bruce Avenue in Windsor, Ont. (Courtesy of Google Street View) A park in South Central Windsor will again be supervised over the summer following the continued success of a city-run program. The SUPIE (supervisor) Program returns for the third year at Mitchell Park, 399 Giles Boulevard West. The goal of the program is to enhance park safety and engage children in enriching recreational activities. Ward 3 councillor Renaldo Agostino said the program began in 2023 following discussions with nearby residents who were frustrated with ongoing crime in the park. 'During that meeting all the residents came out, everybody was upset, and everybody was angry, and everybody was telling me what was going on at the park, and I just sat there and I thought about when I was a kid, and when I was a kid there was park supervisors,' Agostino said. 'So, I brought up the idea of the SUPIE program and everyone there was struggling between security and activities.' The program was launched with both security and SUPIES, however security was dropped after the first year because there was only one incident requiring their assistance. In partnership with the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative, Agostino said SUPIES will be on hand seven days a week, working with youth from 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. until Aug. 30. 'They're just working kids doing arts and crafts, playing sports, soccer, basketball, there's all kinds of different activities that they do, so it's great, it's a great program,' he said. Agostino said when the program began, it came at a cost of approximately $30,000. 'Now we've got it down to, from what I understand, the last numbers I saw, just over $12,000 that now makes it a possibility to branch out into other parks, and other parts of the city,' Agostino said. The city said over 250 youth have participated in SUPIE since introduced in 2023, with stakeholder feedback showing that the program contributed to an increase in park utilization, community engagement, and overall park satisfaction. The city points to data from partners that indicates the program has been successful in the goal of reducing crime in the park. -With files from AM800's The Shift with guest host Kristen Siapas. Written by Dustin Coffman/AM800 News.
CBC
19-02-2025
- General
- CBC
Workshop tackles the questions you have — but don't know who to ask — about homelessness in Windsor
A workshop will be held Wednesday evening to help give Windsor residents the necessary tools on how to interact with people experiencing homelessness. Organized by the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC), the workshop will be held at the Windsor Media Arts Community Centre at 664 Victoria Avenue from 5 to 7 p.m. Bob Cameron, DWCC executive director, said the workshop — titled Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Homelessness But Didn't Know Who to Ask — will discuss the right way to engage someone on the streets and how to interact with them. "We want to address concerns like relieving fear, but definitely relieving the stigma that's often attached with being on the streets," Cameron said. Cameron said a DWCC team called Streetlight has spent the last couple of years engaging people on the street with the primary idea of being curious and understanding people's stories. Team members will share "practical tools of what we've learned on how to engage and understand the stories," he said. Additionally, Cameron said about 12 agencies will have speakers at the event, and people will have an opportunity to interact with representatives of Windsor police, the health unit, the Canadian Mental Health Association, among others. You never know what's going on Windsorite John Labutte is experiencing homelessness. Asked what he wants people to know, he says you never really know what's going on with someone else. "People are always worried about their own stuff, you know, holding on to something like a bag for an example, because it could have something really important to them. But there are people that would assume, 'oh, there's dope in there.'" Labutte said the bag he carries contains personal effects, like a photograph of family members he can look at from time to time, because he has not seen them in person for a long time. Hope Cameron said one of her biggest needs, especially during the winter month, is to be able to get a warm drink sometimes. "The warm drink and stuff, the soup is really what's healing especially in the winter time, and just having a warm meal … I just wish we had more of that around." 'There are incredible resources out there' Meanwhile, the DWCC executive director said the workshop will also provide attendees with the necessary information on how to refer people. "There are incredible resources out there, but we as a community, as neighbours, most often are unfamiliar with what they are," he said. "So this evening provides an opportunity for us to get the resources so when I meet someone on the street, [if] the question comes up, I know how to at least direct them and begin to develop a relationship, realizing this person is a valued person as much as I am, and relieving my worries or fears of the interaction. "To be able to approach someone and acknowledge their dignity and their humanity just relieves the tension of the uncertainty on both sides of the sidewalk," he added.
