Front-line workers in Prince George get office space where they can meet and collaborate

Police and city bylaw workers have started working under the same roof as social workers and mental health support workers in downtown Prince George, B.C.

The Community Safety Hub is a two-floor office building at 2nd Avenue and George Street, in an area of town where people dealing with homelessness and addiction tend to congregate in order to access support services.

The city hopes it will give front-line workers a place to collaborate and come up with better ways of working on shared issues connected to homelessness, addiction, mental health and poverty.

"All of these organizations are already working on the street," said Chris Bone, who manages partnerships for the city. "We wanted to provide a venue that was easy and flexible to drop in that became the space to connect with a colleague from an aligned organization."

The initial partners in the hub include RCMP, the city's bylaw department, Northern Health, the Prince George Native Friendship Centre, B.C. Housing and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Bone said other organizations, including shelters and harm reduction groups, will also be invited into the space in the coming months.

There won't be dedicated staff in the hub, but it will act as a drop-in space for people patrolling downtown to stop and send emails or to meet with other agencies.

"They tend to be out in the community doing a lot of work ... this is a space for them to touch down," said community coordinator Doug Hofstede, who oversaw the creation of the space, which consists of several individual work areas as well as a shared conference table.

Bone said in the week since opening, she's already seen people from different organizations connecting to discuss the best way to help people in need downtown.

"People are trying to do what they think is right and best for the community," she said. "I think if we can learn to harness that passion and work as a unit ... we'll end up being in a really good spot."