Kamloops council approves pilot pairing CSOs and outreach workers

City of Kamloops staff are applying for a grant to fund projects addressing social issues, including a new pilot program which will see plainclothes community service officers (CSOs) conduct foot and bike patrols in tandem with outreach workers.

Carmin Mazzotta, the city’s social, housing and community development manager, told council Tuesday the city will look to hire a couple of additional CSOs and establish contracts with local agencies for an equal number of outreach workers.

The cost for the program is estimated to be $468,000.

Mazzotta said social service agencies seem keen to be involved in the initiative. The city is aiming to have the CSO Outreach and Response pilot program operational by the summer.

“This would be a pilot program involving pairing an outreach worker and a CSO to provide outreach and connection to shelters and support services for people experiencing homelessness,” Mazzotta said.

“The program would help support a safe and secure environment and mitigate concerns of businesses in mixed-use centres and commercial centres and corridors and in areas around shelter sites.”

According to a report prepared for council, the pilot program’s CSOs will dress in plain clothes in order to better build trust and rapport with street-embedded people. Staff noted that research indicates a uniform can be perceived as threatening by some experiencing homelessness.

Mazzotta said the city aims to have 16 hours of coverage over seven days per week, with teams likely working during evenings, weekends and at peak response hours.

He said the pilot program would be evaluated in 2023 to measure its effectiveness.

Mazzotta said the pilot will be funded through the Community and Protective Services reserve, which will be reimbursed if the city's application for grant funding — available through the Union of BC Municipalities — is successful.

Coun. Kathy Sinclair said she believes the Outreach and Response proposal will fill a community need.

“I like the idea that CSOs will be attending without uniforms on as well, to make it a little more accessible and less threatening to people who are living on our streets,” she said.

Coun. Dale Bass asked if the capacity of some social agencies might be reduced if they provide outreach workers for the pilot program.

Mazzotta said staff approached the agencies before they drafted the grant application and report.

“They feel that there is definitely opportunity here, there is that capacity,” Mazzotta said.

Coun. Mike O’Reilly said he was concerned about where the additional CSO’s would come from, as the program isn’t fully staffed.

“It's great to put this on paper in front of us, but again, we're not meeting our obligations of our staffing requirements as it is right now,” O’Reilly said.

Mazzotta said while there are some CSO vacancies expected to be filled in the coming months, the number of officers “was perceived as a manageable target for a pilot phase of this program.”

City council voted to move forward with the pilot and to have staff submit the grant application, which will also seek funds through UBCM’s Strengthening Communities’ Services 2022 grant program for several other projects.

Mazzotta told council UBCM had a $650,000 funding guideline for cities of Kamloops’ size, but more money might be available under certain circumstances.

“UBCM has noted in the guide and in some preliminary conversations with us that additional funding may be considered if available, and if applicants can demonstrate evidence of community need and a rationale for the request,” Mazzotta said.

He said if extra funds aren’t available, UBCM will ask the city to reduce its funding request, and staff can prioritize which projects receive the grant.

The total amount of funds sought by the City of Kamloops is about $1.5 million, including $468,000 for the CSO Outreach and Response pilot.

The city is also looking to fund the Envision Outreach Shuttle — operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association Kamloops — which provides outreach and transportation to shelters.

Other asks include funding for a sharps recovery peer program, networking events for the safe and secure community engagement group, a video project highlighting recovery stories from people with lived experience, and money to support continued contracted security services for city streets.

Some councillors questioned if the grant application should include the $720,000 funding ask for contracted security services.

Coun. Sadie Hunter said if UBCM asks for a reduced funding request, she would prefer to see this cut.

“It's really difficult for security to do much of anything except for move people along, and I don't know that overall it's having much of an impact positively and making that much of a difference, aside from to shift people from one corridor to the other,” Hunter said, adding she’d prefer to see funds pay for an additional Car40 nurse.

Mazzotta said funding requests need to align with grant guidelines, and a request around Car40 might not apply, but there may be future grant opportunities for that project.

Mayor and council voted unanimously in favour of the grant application and pilot project with the exception of Coun. Dieter Dudy, who was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.

Mazzotta said the grant application deadline is April 22, and UBCM is expected to respond by late July.