People are reacting to a new police unit in downtown Toronto that aims to connect people with mental health services.
Earlier this summer, Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the Toronto Police Service (TPS) launched the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) team, a one-year pilot program with a mission to support vulnerable people and residents in the Yonge and Dundas area.
The city says the program is designed to address the complex health, mental health, substance use and housing needs of vulnerable individuals in the neighbourhood, by improving access to health and social services.
Though the announcement was in June, Toronto police and Toronto Public Health confirmed that the unit is still in the process of being built and will officially launch in the new year.
“I can share that the CORE Unit is a new partnership between the Toronto Police Service and health agencies, bringing together police officers and public health nurses to support connecting people to health and social services,” a TPS spokesperson told Now Toronto on Wednesday.
“This team will connect individuals with the right services, from primary healthcare, to mental health and addiction support, to other social programs, aiming to improve safety and well-being for everyone in Toronto,” they continued.
Read More
The program will be led by a specialized team of public health nurses and supported by a nurse practitioner. It will also offer short-term case management, health and social service referrals, as well as overdose and substance use responses.
Officers in this program will guide the efforts to ensure safety for the team, members of the public and those who receive support, police said. The city says everyone involved will receive training in trauma-informed practices, harm reduction approaches and healing-centred engagement to be well-prepared.
WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC THINK?
A Toronto resident recently witnessed a pair of police officers who are part of the project and documented his encounter on TikTok, where one of the officers explained that they were there to support nurses doing wellness checks in the area.
In the comments, many users are applauding the initiative.
“Love this! This is what we meant by defund. It’s about moving funding around to bring in other more suitable professionals to assist,” one TikTok user said.
“I am so glad that the homeless and the ones that are really suffering are going to get some help. We need more of this in Canada,” another user said.
“Love that healthcare professionals are being utilized in this manner,” another user commented.
Meanwhile, others are questioning the move.
“Wellness checks? Why does that require police?” one TikTok user said.
“How about we do this without the surveillance of people?” another user asked.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Thinking there’s more to this than we know,” another comment read.
