A Winnipeg school grappling with concerns around open drug use and homelessness near the site has brought two community safety hosts — a type of security guard — on board.
“My hope with this measure is that kids feel more confident coming to school,” Gordon Bell High School principal Tanis Westdal said.
“There’s a couple of extra adults out here … and are available for support if needed.”
The community safety hosts started work at Gordon Bell on Monday. Safety hosts are certified security guards who receive additional training in conflict de-escalation techniques, harm reduction and trauma-related care.
They are trained to provide “people-centred” security service in public spaces, including at a number of libraries, said Mary Burton, executive director of Zoongizi Ode Inc. The local non-profit organization, along with the social enterprise Persons Community Solutions, is behind community safety hosts in Winnipeg.
“If somebody is in distress and they need help … a community safety host will find the resources that they need,” Burton said. “They will try their best to mitigate any situations that are not life-threatening.”
Their roles and responsibilities are still being defined at Gordon Bell, which is on Borrowman Place between Portage Avenue and Broadway and is one of two Winnipeg schools where safety hosts are starting out. The duties would include patrolling the neighbourhood around the building, Burton said.
Westdal said safety hosts will pick up discarded needles, advise of security concerns on school grounds and intervene if a student is approached by a stranger on the sidewalk.
She is hoping the hosts can build relationships with the children so they can feel more comfortable asking for help if they need support or someone is in distress.
“We want kids to know that they’re safe,” Westdal said.
‘My fear is that something might happen’
While walking to Gordon Bell, Grade 7 through 12 students are regularly exposed to people experiencing homelessness or under the influence of drugs, especially near bus shelters and fast-food restaurants steps away from the school, Westdal said.
It is an ongoing concern that speaks to larger social issues grappling the city, she said.
“My fear is that something might happen en route to school one day,” Westdal said.
“Since it’s warmed up … we’re really seeing the city start to bubble. It weighs on me all the time.”
That’s one of the reasons the school decided to add the two community safety hosts and installed card readers at a number of entrances Monday.
Grade 11 student Lance Myran, 17, said security staff could be helpful to increase safety around Gordon Bell, especially during lunchtime, when students leave the building.
Grade 9 student Maria Karin Alddin, 14, says security presence around the school would be welcomed, but there also needs to be more social services to help people experiencing homelessness and addiction. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
While he doesn’t witness open drugs around the school often, he sees people limping, drooling and acting erratically.
He avoids walking by groups of adults, especially if he is alone. But Myran worries for younger students who might be susceptible to drugs or unaware of the health risks discarded needles pose.
“They could get hurt out there,” he said. “It definitely is not great to have that thought almost every day.”
Maria Karin Alddin, 14, also thinks having a security presence around the school is a good idea.
The Grade 9 student said she feels safe inside the building, but walking to and from the bus stop is scary — especially when people who appear to be under the influence of drugs approach her.
Tayna Bernardic, 17, says she would like to see school staff walk with students to bus stops. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
“It’s hard. But for the most part, just try to keep your distance. They have their own problems, and you don’t want to make it worse for them and escalate things,” she said.
Witnessing people experiencing homelessness and drug addiction, Karin Alddin said more social services are also needed to help those struggling around Gordon Bell.
Tayna Bernardic, 17, agrees. The Grade 12 student said there needs to be more education to lessen the stigma around the issues outside the school.
“There are times when I do feel afraid, but … one thing we have to remember is that these are people as well, and if we view them as dangerous and ‘other’ them, the problem is only gonna get bigger,” Bernardic said.
Bernardic would also like to see the school have staff members who can walk with students to bus stops, and courses on how to safely dispose of discarded needles or pipes littering the neighbourhood.
Winnipeg police Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said there’s a tricky balance for officers to achieve when dealing with open drug sales or consumption around schools, including Gordon Bell.
If someone is committing a crime, police say officers have a responsibility to enforce the law. But if there’s no illegal activity, McKinnon said they can’t move people from a public area.
In the area surrounding Gordon Bell, where a large number of people experiencing homelessness gather, McKinnon said police are trying to address the issue by connecting with social services.
“We can’t do this alone,” she said. “This issue isn’t always the enforcement piece.”