THUNDER BAY — A new initiative is underway aimed at fostering meaningful collaboration between local businesses, service providers, and individuals experiencing street involvement in Thunder Bay's north-side downtown.
The Shared Streets Initiative is led by Elevate NWO in collaboration with businesses in the Waterfront Business Improvement Area.
Sarah DiBiagio, an outreach and engagement worker with Elevate NWO, said the initiative was inspired by people who access their agency and allied businesses. It focuses on breaking barriers, building alliances, and reclaiming the downtown core as a space where businesses and street-involved individuals can coexist with respect and purpose.
"Those in our centre have spoken to the lack of visibility of themselves, and more broadly, street-associated people, as part of our community," DiBiagio said.
"Allied businesses likewise had noticed the disparity of treatment towards these folks in our neighbourhood, who are also our neighbours. Elevate NWO is uniquely positioned to negotiate and explore this as an agency in the area, having a rapport with both parties. All those involved wanted to do what they could to get involved in solution-seeking and the result has been the Shared Streets Initiative."
Businesses in the Waterfront Business Improvement Area are invited to submit their thoughts and opinions about this initiative by responding to a short survey.
Kara Pratt, executive director for the Waterfront Business Improvement Area, which is also known as a BIA, said this was something that they had been looking into already.
"We've been connecting with other cities to learn what they were doing for outreach within their BIA," Pratt said.
Barrie, Ont.'s Collaborative Approach, and Kelowna, B.C.'s Downtown Young were among the cities that Pratt and her team researched as they gathered ideas for their own potential initiative.
"We were looking for a partner, or looking for somebody to run it, and Elevate came to us in the spring with the Safe Streets initiative," she said. "They're surveying a lot of businesses in the BIA, and they're looking for input to help them build a strategy, and we're assisting them."
Through the BIA's membership email newsletter stream, the BIA was able to pass on the survey to more than 150 businesses.
DiBiagio said the collaboration itself will be facilitated by the staff at Elevate, who will organize focus groups, conduct research, gather statistics, and deliver information and training sessions in person as well as develop written materials that will be made available for the downtown north-core establishments.
"We simply ask that participants come with an open mind," she said.
DiBiagio is optimistic that they will reach their objective, and this initiative will be instrumental in expanding general knowledge and understanding of how the downtown works for all people.
"We are equally optimistic that the opportunity to communicate and learn will strengthen relationships between all parties and form a strong foundation for respect for all," she said.
Main concerns for the area's businesses include the potential for theft, violence, and litter outside establishments.
"What I see here as an outreach and engagement worker are some valid concerns, opportunities for creative problem solving and even some misconceptions," she added.
The initiative will continue with focus groups to identify key topics for discussion and collaboration, and training opportunities, which are already provided by Elevate in the form of joint Naloxone and awareness training.
The Chronicle-Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
