Page 66 - 2015WellBeing
P. 66
66 Our Safety
Making a Difference
Crime in many cases is a symptom of broader societal problems. Criminality
can be statistically linked to lower income levels – whether people turn
to alcohol and drugs to battle depression or steal when they can’t make
ends meet. Criminal activity can quite often be traced back to a common
societal issue or root cause.
Although there will always be random and senseless acts of crime, poverty
and hopelessness impact levels of crime and criminality in our communities.
A report by United Way Calgary on Alberta’s prison population illustrated
this – it found that an overwhelming number of incarcerated women,
39 percent, were imprisoned for failure to pay a fine that they could not
afford.lxxiii Although the Calgary study was limited in scope, its findings
have huge implications. Incarceration comes with a huge cost to society
and in many cases could be prevented with proper community supports,
awareness programs, poverty reduction strategies and better, more
integrated access to services.
Engaging the community
Research shows that when a community values itself and is engaged in its
well-being criminal activity tends to decline. Whether it is a neighbourhood
watch, painting over graffiti or promptly repairing vandalized property,
activities like these help residents feel connected to their neighbourhoods
and feel a sense of belonging. They will also be more likely to intervene or
prevent criminal activity.
Strategies such as Ford City Renewal, Our West End, the Downtown Windsor
Community Collaborative and The Initiative: Glengarry to Marentette is
directly engaging residents in these communities in Windsor. Over the next
five years, these programs with their partner organizations will attempt to
broaden neighbourhood engagement in their respective communities
by building the leadership skills of residents, and strengthen the social,
economic, and physical elements to revitalize low-income neighbourhoods.
These programs are engaging residents more than ever before, and
residents are already telling us that they feel hope and possibility for their
neighbourhoods‘ future.
Violence against women
Although domestic violence primarily targets women, specific statistics for
our community are not readily available. While Windsor Police Services
statistics are able to distinguish between family and non-family incidence
there are no readily available gender-based data.
One insight that is available comes from the Hiatus House women’s shelter
which has seen from a low of 262 women sheltered in 2010/11 to 339 in
The 2015 Community Well-Being Report
Making a Difference
Crime in many cases is a symptom of broader societal problems. Criminality
can be statistically linked to lower income levels – whether people turn
to alcohol and drugs to battle depression or steal when they can’t make
ends meet. Criminal activity can quite often be traced back to a common
societal issue or root cause.
Although there will always be random and senseless acts of crime, poverty
and hopelessness impact levels of crime and criminality in our communities.
A report by United Way Calgary on Alberta’s prison population illustrated
this – it found that an overwhelming number of incarcerated women,
39 percent, were imprisoned for failure to pay a fine that they could not
afford.lxxiii Although the Calgary study was limited in scope, its findings
have huge implications. Incarceration comes with a huge cost to society
and in many cases could be prevented with proper community supports,
awareness programs, poverty reduction strategies and better, more
integrated access to services.
Engaging the community
Research shows that when a community values itself and is engaged in its
well-being criminal activity tends to decline. Whether it is a neighbourhood
watch, painting over graffiti or promptly repairing vandalized property,
activities like these help residents feel connected to their neighbourhoods
and feel a sense of belonging. They will also be more likely to intervene or
prevent criminal activity.
Strategies such as Ford City Renewal, Our West End, the Downtown Windsor
Community Collaborative and The Initiative: Glengarry to Marentette is
directly engaging residents in these communities in Windsor. Over the next
five years, these programs with their partner organizations will attempt to
broaden neighbourhood engagement in their respective communities
by building the leadership skills of residents, and strengthen the social,
economic, and physical elements to revitalize low-income neighbourhoods.
These programs are engaging residents more than ever before, and
residents are already telling us that they feel hope and possibility for their
neighbourhoods‘ future.
Violence against women
Although domestic violence primarily targets women, specific statistics for
our community are not readily available. While Windsor Police Services
statistics are able to distinguish between family and non-family incidence
there are no readily available gender-based data.
One insight that is available comes from the Hiatus House women’s shelter
which has seen from a low of 262 women sheltered in 2010/11 to 339 in
The 2015 Community Well-Being Report
