The City, in collaboration with community partners and engagement with residents, have come together to build a Community Safety and Well-being Plan (CSWB) for the City of Kingston that will focus on supporting safe and healthy communities to address root causes of complex social issues.  

Vision 

Build a resilient community that can respond and adapt to change in ways that foster cooperation, build capacity, increase connectedness, and ensure essential needs are met. 

Guiding Principles: 

• Everyone has their basic needs met 
• Everyone feels welcome 
• Everyone Feels safe 
• Everyone Feels heard 
• Everyone Feels valued 
• Everyone Feels loved 

Benefits to the community 

• Enhanced communication and collaboration among agencies and organizations 
• Increased understanding of local risks and vulnerable groups 
• Increase awareness of services available to individuals with complex needs 
• Increased coordination and access to services for community members and vulnerable groups 

Key Recommendations for Action 

The ideas and recommendations generated through the creation of this plan are complex and include a broad range of critical issues that are interconnected.  

• Create a housing development action plan for the full housing continuum. 
• Support and encourage engagement to include those with lived experience in both the planning and implementation of programs and services. 
• Enhance 24/7 community-based addictions and mental health services. 
• Support the establishment of an Indigenous cultural and gathering space. 
• Provide training and education across the service system on trauma-informed care including raising awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences. 
• Provide resources and training to support agencies in incorporating equity, diversity, inclusivity, and indigenous partnership principles in all aspects of their organization. 
• Address community and household food security through supporting all aspects of the food eco-system. 
• Coordinate specific issue work groups and committees with cross sector representation to respond to critical gaps in planning and community supports. 

Next steps 

Through the creation of this plan, a holistic approach in addressing local issues must be developed and adopted in partnership across organizations, and continued engagement with the community. 

The plan will help define and address priorities in the community through proactive, integrated strategies that aim to ensure vulnerable populations receive the help they need from the providers that are best suited to support them. This plan, developed through guidance from a CSWB Advisory Committee with leaders from various sectors, will be submitted by the City to the Ministry of the Solicitor General Community Safety by July 1st, 2021. 

In the fall of 2021, the community will begin the implementation work of the plan.  This will involve taking the recommendations from the plan and turning them into specific actions with timelines and accountabilities.   The plan is viewed as a “living” document and will harness the work being done by many existing groups and planning tables in the community.  This page on the City’s website will be used as a repository for information about the Community Safety and Wellbeing work being carried out in the City of Kingston, so please check back often for updates or email if you have specific questions.