North Bay’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWBP) is a coordinated effort to foster a safe, healthy and inclusive community by responding to identified priority risks. The Plan, which is required under the Police Services Act, builds upon the community’s strengths while also addressing gaps in the community’s safety and well-being landscape. Ultimately, the Plan sets out to meet locally identified goals, outcomes and objectives through evidence-based outputs and actions.
For the purpose of this planning and implementation, 'community safety and well-being' is defined as a multi-sectoral approach to mitigate reliance on reactionary and incident driven response by implementing social development practices through identification and response to risks that increase the likelihood of criminal activity, victimization or harm.
The City of North Bay provides funding on an annual basis to the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) which, in turn, funds community agencies that help people who experience homelessness and those at risk of becoming homeless. This includes emergency shelter, support services and outreach.
In September of 2019, 30 community organizations gathered for a Roundtable on Mental Health and Addictions at the invitation of North Bay Mayor Al McDonald. The group was charged with identifying gaps in the community related to mental health and addiction services, poverty reduction, and homelessness, and coming up with an Action Plan to address these gaps.
Following the meeting, the Mayor’s Roundtable Action Team began working with partners in the community on priorities, including development of transitional housing, implementation of needs-based planning and the creations of 24/7 community supports.
Since that time, a number of new initiatives have been launched to help better serve vulnerable and marginalized populations and to address community concerns.
This includes:
If you, or anyone you know, are homeless, services are available by reaching out to the agencies listed below:
Or by Calling:
If you are in crisis or experiencing an emergency, you are reminded to call 911.
The City of North Bay is aware there has been an increase of visible homelessness in the community which has resulted in concerns about the safety and well-being of people living outdoors in encampments, and the impact on nearby residents, businesses and the broader community. Encampments are not permitted in City parks and the City has worked with its community partners to provide outreach and respond to encampments that prioritizes health and safety.