Situation table a collaborative group to address issues of vulnerable people
A Situation Table is a collaborative response model that brings together multiple agencies and organizations to address complex social issues, in a coordinated and timely manner, according to a report submitted to Fort St. John City Council on November 27.
The situation table model was one of the options that the City and Urban Systems found and presented at the July 6 Community Safety Open House to address rising crime in Fort St. John. The July tradeshow-style meeting was convened in response to concerns from local business owners regarding the safety of their businesses, employees, and customers in the wake of increased crime and vandalism. Many of the incidents took place in the downtown core, although business owners throughout the city wrote to Council with their concerns.
According to the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, Milo Macdonald, who submitted the report to council, the model is one that has been used in many communities throughout BC. Establishing a situation table “may offer an opportunity to address the increased issues surrounding drugs, mental health and homelessness that are being experienced in Fort St. John,” Macdonald said in the report.
Situation tables have been in use in British Columbia since 2015. The first one, established in Surrey by the Office of Crime Reduction and Gang Outreach (OCR-GO), was designed to address community issues before they became police issues. By 2021, there were 12 situation tables operating in the province, with nine more in the works.
While situation tables are often seen as crime prevention initiatives by community safety partners and can impact crime rates among people whose offending is driven by underlying issues, the purpose is to improve the well-being of vulnerable people.
Made up of representatives from police, health authorities, social services, housing providers, mental health and community organizations, situation tables aim to identify people with acutely elevated risk and connect them to supports and services they need to increase their personal well-being. Acutely elevated risk is when a person experiences multiple vulnerabilities such as mental health issues, homelessness, and addiction simultaneously, which suggests the person could experience a crisis, according to a 2018 report from the OCR-GO.
Clients are referred to situation tables by diverse sources, including police reports, healthcare records, social service assessments and community inputs. The OCR-GO report states that by the time a case is referred to and accepted by a situation table, the person in question is not only in need, but requiring immediate assistance to prevent a traumatic event from occurring, such as apprehension or an ER visit.
Macdonald told council that the city would likely be responsible for chairing the first few meetings and would provide meeting space, but “very often the police end up being fairly significant contributors to the content of those meetings. They become aware of situations that do require the support of a multi-agency approach – most Situation Tables tend to lead with the content and the referrals, and then they’re managed collaboratively with various agencies that sit at the table,” he said.
The collaborative nature of situation tables allows for a holistic approach, integrating the immediate needs of vulnerable people and connecting them with services which can support them, while working towards long-term solutions and improved well-being. However, this can place additional pressure on community-based services which are already operating at capacity.
Mayor Lilia Hansen said that she has heard a lot of positive feedback about the proposed situation table.
“It’s already been tried and tested, and if there’s something that we can learn that’s working in other communities, I feel it’s worth pursuing and bringing it forward here to see how we can implement it.”
Although situation tables are usually built around a collection of agencies and services, Councillor Sarah MacDougall said she hoped “people with lived experiences would be a part of the situation table, or at least consulted, that we’re not just a few organizations sitting around making decisions on behalf of others.”
“I think it’s also important to point out, financially that there are some grant funds available from the province of BC to support the establishment of a situation table and much of this funding provides required training to make the situation table viable,” said Hansen.
As of March 2021, the Ministry of Public Safety and OCR-GO had provided $240,000 to various communities throughout the province to establish situation tables.
Macdonald’s report indicated that the situation table could up and running as early as this coming spring.
Council voted in favour of directing staff to begin setting up a Situation Table for Fort St. John and apply for support from the province to assist in the process.