Working to strengthen and sustain community safety in Edmonton
IMPACT2015 EMPOWERING YOUTH AND FAMILIES
CRIME PREVENTION I want to help more in my community now, to make things easier for others. I learned a lot about leadership and I’m headed to becoming a great community leader. Youth participants in the Police & Youth Engagement Program (PYEP)
PARTNERSHIPS Collaboration, coordination and cooperation: that is the future. REACH has been critical in that effort and I think they have made a difference. Rod Knecht, Chief, Edmonton Police
We’re surrounding them with the supports they need to move forward on their journey towards a healthy life. Robin Murray, Executive Director, Edmonton John Howard Society, speaking about youth in the WrapED program
WrapED has opened up so many opportunities for me. Some of the stuff I have to look into in my life is hard to do on my own. Having this program and Lisa my outreach worker helps me a lot. Now I’m finishing grade 12, and I’m going to go to university. Eventually I’ll get a place of my own and get my life going. I want to have a family and work as a nurse.
In 2015 we really started to build momentum with 24/7 Crisis Diversion. REACH brought so many people together to talk about our work, the need in our city and how to best respond to that need. Through this, we made a huge step forward in defining what crisis diversion really means for our initiative. Now we have the foundation to move forward collectively, and do positive work that will really make a difference.
Paige, a WrapED youth. A year ago Paige was living in and out of the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre, dealing with consequences of a life that involved crime. She joined WrapED in 2015. She now goes to school full-time, works and volunteers.
Amy Benson, paramedic, 24/7 Crisis Diversion partner
Message from the Mayor of Edmonton
Mobilizing, coordinating and collaborating to make our city a safer place in one generation
REACH Edmonton plays an important role in our city – connecting with community members, catalyzing and participating in partnerships and importantly working as the backbone organization to guide the vision, strategies and evaluation for collaborative new approaches to prevention and community safety. The work REACH undertakes with its numerous partners is wide-ranging. It touches youth, adults and families in our city who are at risk of becoming victims of, or committing, a crime. In 2015, City Council recognized the value of REACH’s work with 24/7 Crisis Diversion, providing new funding so this initiative can be expanded to include both greater downtown and the Whyte Avenue area. 24/7 Crisis Diversion is just one example of the positive impact REACH is having in making Edmonton a safer city. Collaborating and thinking differently about how to solve very complex social problems isn’t easy work. Our city is a better place thanks to everyone at REACH, and to all Edmontonians who are committed to this collective approach and making an impact. Don Iveson, Mayor, City of Edmonton
Message from the REACH Board Chair and REACH Executive Director At REACH, we often talk about “moving the needle” on community safety. We work with partners on relatively small, grassroots initiatives, but our collective objective is indeed very big: we’re tackling deeply entrenched social problems in order to make Edmonton a safer city in one generation. Our results to date show that we are making progress. We hear this from participants and partners in our initiatives and we see it in our evaluation results. As we move forward our commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue, new ideas and innovative approaches will continue. We’ll further strengthen our evaluation processes and our understanding of how to respond accordingly to address risk factors that cause crime. The work we undertake together is challenging. Thank you to all of our partners and our dedicated REACH team. Our work is possible only because they bring such positive energy and determination to building stronger individuals, families, communities and a safer city. Susan Matheson, Board Chair, REACH Jan Fox, Executive Director, REACH
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
A city in which every Edmontonian contributes to a community where everyone is safe and feels safe.
To inspire citizen engagement and coordinated agency action to strengthen and sustain community safety in Edmonton.
2015
A year of transitions
In 2015, our fifth year, REACH saw fundamental strides forward on a number of initiatives, both in the impact we’re having and in our understanding of how to best create sustainable collaborations. Through our work as a backbone organization, we focus intentionally on ensuring in each of our initiatives that partners have a shared understanding of the vision, continuous communication, shared measurement systems and mutually reinforcing activities.
24/7 Crisis Diversion 2015 marked a turning point as the first 24/7 Mobile Assistance Program (MAP) prototype transitioned to 24/7 Crisis Diversion, which provides 24-hour response, 365 days a year, to people in distress who don’t need emergency services. Our first prototype partnership – the Bissell Centre, Homeward Trust, 211 and EPS – determined we had to scale up 24/7 response to meet the need. More community members came together and developed the 24/7 Crisis Diversion framework. The new partnership includes Boyle Street Community Services, HOPE Mission, Canadian Mental Health Association, EPS, and Emergency Medical Services, with REACH as the backbone organization. Increased City funding in 2015 means 24/7 Crisis Diversion response teams can expand their reach from greater downtown to include Whyte Avenue, Kingsway and Beverly.
All In For Youth (AIFY) This new collaborative brings together several Edmonton initiatives to streamline services supporting vulnerable children, youth and families. REACH initiatives Schools as Community Hubs and Out of School Time are now part of AIFY. REACH and the United Way provide backbone support, and REACH is part of the AIFY steering committee along with seven other community members.
REACH Immigrant and Refugee Initiative (RIRI) In its new iteration, RIRI 2.0 transitioned to focus on the work of cultural navigators: people connected to and respected in their communities. They meet and work with ethno-cultural community members to exploring issues that could impact family health. RIRI 2.0 partners include the Africa Centre, Catholic Social Services, Changing Together, Community Initiatives Against Family Violence, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Edmonton Police Service, Islamic Family & Social Services Association.
REACH’s role as the backbone organization – coordinating, mobilizing funding, managing the data and evaluations – means we can get back to our work, which is about making sure families have their services. We don’t have to worry about the infrastructure type pieces of work that have to come together to make things happen. I can’t imagine a community without that kind of infrastructure backbone support. Our communities are better off as a result of REACH. Liz O’Neill, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Club Big Brothers Big Sisters
In 2015 we brought 84 children, 4 to 17 years old, from different cultures together for an Out of School Time program. They do music, art, field trips and review school work; the older ones work on leadership and career development as well. And, of course, they play. Our program runs in July and August, five days a week, free of cost. It means parents can work through the summer and not worry about their kids. REACH gives us so much support; always listening and always with an open mind. I hope we continue working with REACH for a long time. Lado Luala, Executive Director, Nyarkenyi Development Foundation
We’re a catalyst for change In 2015, the number of REACH partnerships grew, with increased recognition in our city of how important it is to include a community-based prevention lens in initiatives aimed at helping vulnerable people and families.
Creating new approaches to community safety and building knowledge about crime prevention Our work focuses on community initiatives and training. We are the backbone organization for many initiatives, and a partner with others.
Supporting school-aged youth whose families are vulnerable
Making a difference in the lives of vulnerable Edmontonians
n n n n
n n n n n n n
All in For Youth Steering Committee Joint Use Summer Access Program Out of School Time programs Schools as Community Hubs
24/7 Crisis Diversion 24/7 Edmonton App Chasing the Purple Flag Committee Community Wellness Strategy Heavy Users of Service Managed Alcohol Program Services Winter Emergency Response
Working with Aboriginal community members Helping at-risk youth n WrapED (preventing gang involvement)
REACH Immigrant and Refugee Initiative (RIRI) n Family violence prevention in a cultural context – cultural navigators work with communities (in particular with men and boys) to explore issues such as Canadian gender roles, financial literacy, understanding challenges facing LGBTQ people (especially youth) and communication between family members. n Ethno-cultural Family Violence Committee n Tembo Project – Police & Youth Engagement Program (PYEP)
n Oskayak Police Academy n Aboriginal training for frontline workers n Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program n Increasing safety for Aboriginal women
2015
Oskayak Police Academy, strengthening relationships between police and Aboriginal youth, 37 youth, year 2
Training for frontline workers and community members
n Gang Awareness Workshop n Hard Target: Personal Safety and Self Defense Seminar n High Risk Youth Symposium n Historic Trauma and Aboriginal Client Services Workshop
n Out of School Time Conference n Pre-migration Context and the Influence of PTSD In Working with Newcomer Families Workshop n Stories of Survival Workshop
n Trauma Informed Edmonton Conference n Victim Services Conference n Working with Immigrant and Refugee Communities Workshop
I really enjoyed seeing police and youth working together and learning from each other. As a parent I would like to say thank you to Edmonton Police for giving the kids this great opportunity and being mentors and role models for them. Thanks to REACH Edmonton for the great work you are doing in the community. We can build a better community when we work together and remove barriers between authority and average citizens. Thank you to all the people who made the training possible.
WrapED is unique because it has what we call in Cree wicihitowin: a collaborative process of helping each other that has a respect of relationships and a respect of differences. Allen Benson, CEO, Native Counselling Services of Alberta
Parent of a youth in the Police & Youth Engagement Program
We’re making a difference in Edmonton
Summary Statement of Operations
Data and evaluation inform all of the work we do at REACH. As a backbone organization, it’s our responsibility to manage data collection and analysis. We continually feed results directly back into each initiative and, with partners, develop appropriate responses to what we’re learning.
Year Ended December 31, 2015, with comparative figures for the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
24/7 Crisis Diversion
RIRI
n 4 core partners in the 24/7 MAP prototype n The new 24/7 Crisis Diversion initiative: • 5 core partners • 25 community stakeholders gave input at 2 consultation sessions • 17 agencies developed the new iteration
n 1,000+ families engaged n 2,142 people attended RIRI collective dialogues, educational sessions and special events n 30+ LGBTQ people in ethno-cultural communities have been reached n 13 cultural navigators, 8 mentors (partner organization staff providing topic expertise and referrals)
WrapED n n n n n
63 youth in Group 1 First group began graduating Work begins with 51 youth in Group 2 13 youth worker training sessions 8 information sharing events in partnership with community gang experts
Schools As Community Hubs (SACH) n 11 schools, 971 students, 25 partners including EPSB and ECSD n Every $1 invested in SACH now results in a $5 return in social value.
Police & Youth Engagement Program, bringing police together with African-Canadian youth to build trust and positive relationships, 5 youth leaders, 43 youth participants
REVENUES: City of Edmonton WrapED Civil Forfeiture Fund Grant Homeward Trust Grant United Way Grant Edmonton Police Foundation Interest income Training revenue Other income and recoveries Memberships Safe Communities Innovation Fund EXPENDITURES: Administrative expenses: Salaries and benefits Advertising Rent Office and general Other expenses Community Events Telephone Meeting expenses Consulting fees Professional fees IT support Insurance Interest and bank charges Amortization of capital assets
Contributions to Other Organizations Program expenses: WrapED 24/7 Service Delivery Program Civil Forfeiture Fund Safe Communities Innovation Fund
Total expenses Deficiency of revenues over expenditures
2015
2014
3,182,959 1,112,902 155,000 42,000 20,000 17,000 16,208 11,874 30,313 5,710 0
2,718,309 1,093,292 59,792 176,756 0 0 36,303 9,202 9,109 6,235 35,415
4,593,966
4,144,413
1,047,906 162,899 103,186 48,632 50,481 50,745 30,144 17,703 16,693 11,672 9,615 7,199 3,473 17,668
974,254 176,573 113,698 67,442 110,159 64,714 30,712 13,563 28,655 15,150 51,854 6,853 3,098 18,281
1,578,016
1,675,006
624,040
600,845
1,154,512 1,115,695 170,474 0
1,093,292 1,087,490 59,792 35,415
2,440,681
2,275,989
4,642,737
4,551,840
-48,771
-407,427
In 2015, REACH marked its first five years with a community celebration, including music by YONA-Sistema.
REACH Board of Directors
REACH Staff
Susan Christine Matheson, Chair Tim Adams, Vice Chair Gary Reynolds, Treasurer Dr. Kristopher Wells, Secretary Grant Eriksen Dr. Patti LaBoucane-Benson Dr. John Lilley Pilar Martinez Robin Mazumder Linda McConnan Amy Nelson Gary Nelson Cindy Olsen Khalid Tarabain Honourable Allan H. Wachowich Q.C. LL.D
Jan Fox, Executive Director Lindsay Daniller, Director Community Initiatives and Development Adele Towns, Director Finance and Communications Marilyn Gray Holly Hallborg Michelle Harvey Kelly Holland Lisa Langston Brittany Lewchuk Jill McGinn Ann Nicolai (part-time) Arthemon Rurangwa Helen Rusich Madeleine Smith Matthew Taylor Katherine Tracy Ryan Valley (part-time)
REACH Advisors Dave Loken, Edmonton City Councillor Tony Harder, Deputy Chief, Edmonton Police Service Lyall Brenneis, City of Edmonton
Our work at REACH is possible through generous support from the City of Edmonton, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada. REACH does not compete for funding with direct service providers. REACH is a backbone organization helping its partner organizations, who provide frontline services, to mobilize needed resources.
Suite 901, Baker Centre, 10025 - 106 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 1G4 Telephone 780.498.1231 | info@reachedmonton.ca www.reachedmonton.ca https://facebook.com/reachedmonton https://twitter.com/reachedmonton