When Saskatoon Police respond to calls where it’s no so much a crime, but an incident with some of the city’s most vulnerable people, the idea is to keep them out of a jail cell and direct them toward some help. That’s where the Saskatoon Police Service Vulnerable Persons Unit comes in.

Sgt. Jodi Earl is the supervisor of the unit, which was just formed last June, however it’s services aren’t new. Earl explains that it joins together under one umbrella the Police and Crisis Teams, the Saskatoon Hub, the Strengthening Families program and Crime Free Multi Housing. Because it’s now under one unit, resources can be shared with access to the police, health and mobile crisis databases. Earl says the city’s vulnerable people have problems like mental health and addictions challenges and family violence. The Unit involves other agencies like Child and Family Services, Mental Health and Addictions, school boards and income assistance, they are able to offer a more comprehensive service to get to the root of the problems.

The Police and Crisis Teams are a police officer and a mental health social worker. The Hub is a group of community stakeholders including the government, school divisions and service agencies that are working together to get to the root of the problems. Strengthening families is a skills-based training program for high risk youth and their families and Crime Free Multi Housing is a voluntary crime prevention program which property owners and managers can utilize in their buildings.