Smithers council authorized the Town of Smithers to sign the Smithers Situation Table Common or Integrated Program Agreement at its Sept 24 regular meeting.
This came after members of the Smithers Situation Table gave a presentation to updating the mayor and councillors them on their work.
The Smithers Situation Table supports vulnerable community members through wraparound services. The table meets weekly in confidential setting during which members of the Northern Society for Domestic Peace and the local RMCP share the load and respond immediately to people in need in Smithers and Witset.
Jocelyn Foidart, an RCMP officer and registered social worker and Bronwyn Young of the Northern Society for Domestic Peace co-chair the Situation Table and made the presentation to council seeking the mayor’s signature on a needed contract.
Across the province, situation tables help front-line staff from the public safety, health, and social service sectors to identify vulnerable people and collaboratively and rapidly connect them to services before they experience a negative or traumatic event.
Situation tables empower agencies to reduce a broad range of risks that can impact a person’s well-being and safety. The benefits proactively connect people to services and also help by reducing long-term demand on emergency and police resources.
The local situation table is a collaboration of diverse local community sectors and agencies. Each participating party has a mandate to serve and support individuals and families who are experiencing challenges and may be at “acutely elevated risk” of harm.
They work collectively by using each party’s strengths and resources to better serve community residents, decrease risk, and prevent negative outcomes.
The provincial government funds the group but requires local governments to sign an agreement that acknowledges the roles and responsibilities of each participating organization.
During the presentation, Foidart said the group has been busier this year than last year.
“As of now, we've received 61 referrals to the situation table in 2024,” she explained. “Last year, we ended off the year with 61 referrals in total. So we're seeing an increase in demand this year, and we're also seeing an increase in referrals from service providers who are using the table.
"The primary risk factors driving referrals to the table are the same as last year. That is, lack of appropriate housing, drug abuse and alcohol abuse.”
She added the members at the table are starting to feel burnt out.
“We're in a very unique situation where a lot of my energy is dedicated to coordinating the table and ensuring that the agencies stay connected to the individuals, and my role really involves identifying the gaps and stepping in where no resources are available,” she said.
“Northern society for domestic peace is also playing a significant role, partnering me to fill the gaps that other agencies don't have the capacity to address. So many of us are taking on multiple roles due to service gaps in the community.
"I see NSDP, the First Nations Health Authority, and the social development taking on more and more work to meet our clients needs. These demands are stretching us very thin, and the workload is simply not sustainable. Also, many of us recently are starting to suffer from moral distress.”
Foidart asked council to advocate for more resources from higher levels of government including local treatment resources such as a detox centre and a low barrier shelter.
“We also really need a low barrier health service, intensive outreach and case management are critical services that don't require appointments where people can meet them, where, whether in encampments, shelters around the street providing immediate care.
"Culturally safe trauma-informed care must be prioritized to build trust and create a sense of safety within our system that many don't have. We have been filling this gap, doing this work ourselves, which has allowed us to help move people out of the encampment and into treatment.
"We have been very, very successful. We know these services are needed because we've seen the impact and we're doing the work. But it's important to note that these are technically not part of our job, and we can't sustain this without dedicated resources. I think I want to highlight just the heavy burden I see my team carrying.”
Mayor Gladys Atrill agreed to meet with the co-chairs in the near future to hone in on some specific requests and needs to help her advocate for more resources for the community.
