Province gives Community Mobilization a boost
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/06/2019 (2382 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government announced on Friday it will invest $80,000 in Community Mobilization Westman and the work they do in Brandon and surrounding communities.
“We’re very excited about the work of Community Mobilization Westman … they’re showing very promising results in dealing with a lot of cases and very positive outcomes,” Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said during a funding announcement in Brandon.
“We recognize … that we can’t just enforce our way out of situations. We need assistance from communities as well. This really is a mechanism to engage communities in that fight against crime.”
Community Mobilization Westman brings social service professionals together twice a week to sit at the HUB table, where they work together evaluating risk and proactively connecting people with appropriate services.
The group has been waiting for a funding announcement like this for a long time, Community Mobilization Westman chair Mark Sefton said, adding that he was elated when he heard the news.
“This funding will make a huge difference in our ability to continue the work that we’re already doing and expand it to try to better serve those in our communities who are at acutely elevated risk,” Sefton said.
The investment, which is being made through Manitoba’s Guns and Gangs Suppression Strategy, will support additional operating costs, Sefton said, and hopefully a full-time, dedicated co-ordinator.
“It’s all because of the people that we have at the table. They’re spectacular. They’re committed and they’re dedicated,” Sefton said.
In the 49 months they’ve been meeting, Community Mobilization Westman has taken on 568 situations of acutely elevated risk, said Sefton.
Of those situations, only 18 people have refused help.
“These are people who may not have known what services were available or what they could do to turn their lives around,” Sefton said. “The idea is to connect them with services to bring that risk level down as quickly as possible so they can get back to a better life. That’s the goal.”
Community Mobilization Westman has also assisted surrounding communities in setting up their own Hub tables.
“There’s been some testimonials from people of how the interaction that they’ve had with Community Mobilization Westman has changed their life,” said Brandon Police Chief Wayne Balcaen. “We know that we’re helping people and we’re moving this forward for the greater good of the community.”
» edebooy@brandonsun.com
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