Community Safety and Well-Being

Phase 1

• A Working Group of representatives from the nine lower-tier municipalities was established. The Working Group was tasked with establishing an organizing structure, gathering community resources and developing a residential survey in collaboration with the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention. The aim of the survey was to help understand the current feelings of safety and well-being of people in Huron County in order to subsequently focus on local actions that will improve quality of life for everyone. 

Phase 2

• The Working Group formed several sub committees that were tasked with taking a deep dive into specific risk areas of focus such as education, crime, mental health, seniors, medicine, poverty/ housing, and children/youth. Each sub committee collected data as a starting point for the creation of the CSWB Plan. 

Phase 3

• The Social Research & Planning Council (SRPC), operated by the United Way Perth-Huron, was appointed by each of the nine lower-tier municipalities in December 2020 to undertake the necessary research and steps to continue to develop the Plan in accordance with the Safer Ontario Act. The SRPC formed the Advisory Committee to lead the creation of the Plan. Members of the Advisory Committee included appointments from each municipality along with various champions of the following sectors: education, healthcare, housing, income, and food. 

Phase 4

• The Advisory Committee worked under the direction of the SRPC to formulate the Plan. In addition to the Advisory Committee work, the SRPC analyzed the survey data, identified relevant programs and services, engaged in further local data collection and analysis, and conducted community consultations and engagement sessions across all 9 lower-tier municipalities in Huron County. 

To advance Community Safety and Well-Being in Huron County, the Plan accomplishes the following:  

• Examines population data and other statistics for municipalities in Huron County to understand the context within which we are working, where resources are distributed and to identify potential risks and challenges to be addressed; 
• Provides an overview of the legislative framework guiding the development of this Plan and the process taken by the nine Huron County municipalities to understand risk and needs; 
• Establishes an approach to community safety and well-being in Huron based on collective impact, equity, and social determinants of health to ensure risk and needs are understood holistically; 
• Identifies Priority Areas for action to be addressed through this plan; 
• Presents an Evaluation Matrix to help us measure progress; and 
• Discusses next steps for Plan implementation. 

The plan has identified the following four (4) priority areas/ issues for action, based on the research and community engagement:

1. Mental Health and Addictions
2. Housing Stability and Homelessness
3. Domestic and Family Violence
4. Community Security 

An Implementation Plan is in the process of development to address the four priority areas/ issues for action.