The community has received a $1.5 million grant to support a new outreach program to address the opioid crisis in Windsor-Essex.
The Windsor Police Service will work with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the City of Windsor to create a strategy to reach out to priority neighbourhoods.
"A big portion of this will be consultation, will be engagement and also having direct and targeted actions based off of that engagement and consultation," said Leonardo Gil, community safety and well-being project manager.
The Windsor Police Service will have an officer dedicated to this initiative so that they can engage in these consultations. Acting Police Chief Jason Bellaire indicated it's important for police to be a part of these strategies because they are often the first ones on the scene.
"They can create safety plans in neighbourhoods where there is a real surge of activity. Those officers in there can advocate for more connection to services from the health unit and other outreach services," said Bellaire.
The partners will consult with community groups and be fully operational by the fall.
"Each priority neighbourhood that we engage with may have different needs and the interventions that come out of those consultations may differ based on the individual needs of the community," said Eric Nadalin, director of public health programs with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
The Substance Supports in Neighbourhoods Accessed through Police Partnerships (SSNAPP) strategy will be funded for three years.