FAQ

The DCSP was established to create a safer and more welcoming downtown for everyone working, living, playing in and visiting downtown Winnipeg. The DCSP actively connects with the entire downtown community and considers the safety and wellness needs of everyone from businesses to individuals. Pillars of the DCSP include a continuum of cohesive 24/7 support and non-emergency response to those in the community in need of support and assistance; partnerships and collaboration; and prevention and outreach focused on long-term solutions. DCSP teams are appropriately equipped and resourced to provide advanced first aid (MAC247 Team) and enhanced follow-up and service navigation assistance (COAR Team) that has not previously been accessible to individuals in need. Through this additional support and enhanced community partnerships, the DCSP, in collaboration with other organizations and services, will be able to effect more long-term change for individuals and the downtown community and will also serve to alleviate the strain on Winnipeg’s first responder teams.

The DCSP originated as a partnership between the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, the Winnipeg Police Service and True North Sports + Entertainment. It was established as a non-profit organization in April 2020. The DCSP is guided by a Board of Directors and a Community Advisory Council of subject matter experts.

The DCSP serves everyone who lives, visits, works, learns, plays, and makes up the downtown Winnipeg community with a special focus on collaboration, prevention and outreach. While DCSP operations work to collaborate with both public and private partners to build community and enhance safety practices and initiatives, frontline patrol teams actively engage with all members of the downtown community, including businesses and citizens as well as those in need.

The DCSP has three different community presence and outreach teams, each designed to provide different types of support and which together provide a continuum of service that will effect long-term change for individuals and the downtown community:

CONNECT: The CONNECT Team provides a presence along with frontline assistance and referral for all members of the downtown community.

MAC24/7: The Mobile Assist and Connect (MAC24/7) Team provides presence and outreach services including social needs assessments, and engages other agencies and resources, including the DCSP COAR team, as required to best serve individual needs. MAC24/7 is trained in advanced first aid to assist with non-emergency medical situations.

COAR: The Community Outreach Advocacy Resource (COAR) Team provides presence and outreach as well as follow-up intervention and assistance, working with partner agencies in housing, addictions treatment, education, mental health support, and other resources that aim to provide longer-term assistance to better serve individuals and the downtown community as a whole.

If you are aware of a non-emergency situation of distress or disturbance in the downtown area, please engage the DCSP for follow-up at 204-947-DCSP (3277) or complete our online form. The DCSP appreciates community referrals regarding individuals who may be in need of assistance, or areas that require assessment, and will provide wellness checks, deliver needed supplies and facilitate the clean-up of drug paraphernalia. Please call 911 to report criminal activity, imminent danger, and any serious incidents of medical distress.

In addition to the deployment of the DCSP’s three presence and outreach teams, the DCSP will operate a centralized communications centre to connect downtown public and private partners and to enhance safety and outreach initiatives and practices. The DCSP’s support comes in many forms including offering courtesy walks, assisting businesses with safety and prevention strategies, providing community service referrals and service navigation assistance, administering advanced first aid, providing wellness checks, participating in neighbourhood cleanups, and distributing necessities like warm weather wear and hygiene supplies. Ongoing partnerships and community collaborations will continue to enhance the DCSP’s programs and services and contribute to the continuum of service and care needed to ensure appropriate support is provided when needed.

The DCSP is committed to the safety and wellness of all downtown inhabitants and visitors and works to actively collaborate with individuals and organizations to create a stronger and more involved community safety network. The DCSP’s partnership with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ enhances these efforts, which include fostering safety awareness, knowledge sharing, building safety, health, wellness and prevention strategies, and providing courtesy walks.

The DCSP was created to more proactively link Winnipeg’s diverse downtown community and to grow partnerships and community service to create a healthy, safe, and connected downtown Winnipeg. Continual collaboration and partnership building will further integrate safety services and initiatives available to members of the downtown community. The sharing of skills, experiences, technology, equipment and resources will reduce duplication and service overlap and ensure a more focused, timely and coordinated response, not only by the DCSP, but by partner organizations.

Through a partnership with the Winnipeg Police Service and Fire Paramedic Service, the DCSP will work closely with the city’s first responder teams to alleviate some of the current demands on 911 and police, fire and paramedic services.

The DCSP is committed to regular reporting to government, community partners and to the public, and will focus on measurable results to define success and provide service in a way that will more likely generate an impact in the community. Please visit our News page often to learn of the impacts the DCSP is making in our community.