City council will look at approving $170,000 to be spent on two new vehicles for the Diversion Outreach Team (DOT). General manager of community social development, Andrew Malcolm, presented the funding request along with three others to the city’s economic standing policy committee on June 21.
He requested the city allocate federal Reaching Home grant money for the projects, totaling $480,000.
The other initiatives requested were $200,000 to hire a consultant to complete a needs assessment and strategic update to the city’s Community Wellbeing and Safety Strategy, $90,000 over a four year term to the Blood Tribe Department of Health for a population support navigator position at the Lethbridge Wellness and Stabilization unit, and up to $20,000 for the facilitation of a community-wide Integrated Coordinated Access Engagement Service Fair.
Councillor John Middleton-Hope was against the $200,000 for consulting, saying he believes the cost is too high. Councillor Ryan Parker pointed out the money is a grant specifically for items such as this.
“I know that $200,00 sounds like a lot of money, but I believe it is money well served and it’s also money that has an exact purpose from the federal government and for that reason alone I will be supporting it,” Parker said.
The committee also had debate on the funding allocation for new DOT vans, with Middleton-Hope speaking against it. He said he did not believe all the options were explored for the program before requesting funds for the vehicles.
“I am not sure that $85,000 vans to pick up people off the street and take them from point A to point B is a good use of expenses,” he said.
Councillors Belinda Crowson and Parker spoke in favour of the allocation, pointing to the impact the program and the vehicles have on the community.
“These are larger and bigger vehicles than the average person would drive and they are used consistently throughout the community,” Crowson said. “They are out there every day, no matter what the weather, doing the work and we cannot have these vehicles breaking down.”
The committee voted to recommend council approves all four requests.
