Safety & Outreach

We know that safety is a top priority in our community. This summer, the Province announced an investment focused on improving the health, well-being and safety for everyone in our downtown. Building on the success of our Downtown Winnipeg BIZ programs, the new Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) enhances downtown outreach. This evolution means a greater presence of highly trained teams and increased support for those experiencing complex issues in Winnipeg’s core.

For the first time, the DCSP will include 24/7 outreach coverage from a new, mobile assistance team. The DCSP is a new organization that works closely with us at the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and other community agencies.

The Downtown Watch team, now called CONNECT, and the Community Homelessness Assistance Team (CHAT), now called Community Outreach Advocacy Resource (COAR) have transitioned to DCSP. The new 24/7 team, Mobile Assist and Connect (MAC247), will be established as DCSP’s operations move forward and be in place later this year.

The DCSP builds on the already established programs and leads to important enhancements including additional training, improved coordination with other downtown outreach agencies, increased visible presence on the street and improved coverage for BIZ members.

Here’s a quick look at some information about the DCSP:

• You can still contact the Downtown Ambassador team at 204.958.7233 for a courtesy walk. After business hours, calls will be forwarded to the DCSP. This means you can call one phone number for 24/7 downtown outreach.
• The COAR, CONNECT and MAC247 teams will continue to provide outreach services to the downtown community.
• An Information and Communications Centre will be established in the coming months to enhance connectivity among the downtown community and DCSP teams and partners.
• All DCSP team members have specialized training and continue to work with other downtown outreach agencies.
• The DCSP model will continue to develop based on collaboration, evaluation and research and deliver data-driven results.
• The DCSP teams are based in the Air Canada Building at 355 Portage Ave.
• The teams have new uniforms designed to be recognizable on the street and reflect their friendly and welcoming presence.