Community collaboration top priority for new East Village Safety Hub

The East Village Safety Hub will soon be opening in Calgary’s east end, offering full-time safety and community-support services in this vibrant and rapidly growing downtown neighbourhood.

A partnership between Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), The City of Calgary, Calgary Police Service and Alpha House Society’s Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership Program, the East Village Safety Hub will provide social supports and uniformed officers to better respond to the neighbourhood’s evolving social needs.

Modelled after the successful Stephen Avenue Safety Hub, in operation since 2021, the East Village Safety Hub will offer a space for police and social agencies to collaborate and share information about community concerns or incidents and take the most appropriate action to respond to real and perceived social issues.

“Downtown is the heart of our city, and neighbourhoods like East Village feed into the success of the city as a whole,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “In the face of complex problems in our core, the City of Calgary has taken on the role of convenor, bringing together multiple agencies to ensure issues are understood, and collaborative approaches taken. The launch of this latest Safety Hub is another important investment we are making to help ensure the safety of all citizens living, working, visiting or travelling through the East Village, helping the neighbourhood remain an attractive destination for people and businesses over the long term.”

Kate Thompson, CMLC’s President and CEO, was also at the announcement. “Establishing a dedicated safety hub in East Village speaks to our commitment to ensuring that everyone who lives, works and spends time here feels safe and supported and can access the services they need. The East Village Safety Hub complements the work we’ve been doing since day one to ensure the enduring health and success of this unique, evolving community.”

Funded by CMLC and The City of Calgary, the East Village Safety Hub will run as a three-year pilot project out of the lower level of the St. Louis Hotel on 8th Avenue S.E.

“The Calgary Police Service is committed to collaborating with our partners at CMLC, The City of Calgary and Alpha House to address real and perceived concerns around conflict, safety and social challenges in the East Village,” adds Calgary Police Service District 1 Inspector Clare Smart. “Giving officers and our agency partners a dedicated space in a high-call area where they can meet with community partners and collaborate will allow us to enhance our responses to social issues.”

Uniformed officers and social supports will be able to work out of the East Village Safety Hub 24/7, but it will not be a public reporting location. People wishing to access police non-emergency services can visit the District 1 Ramsay station at 1010, 26th Avenue S.E. or call the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. Property offences can also be reported online.

“Working closely with CPS and other partners out of this central location in East Village will help our Outreach programs deliver efficient and effective supports to individuals struggling with mental health and/or substance use in the area,” said Charlene Wilson, Director of Programs and Services. “Alpha House is proud to be a partner in this collaborative initiative that will help ensure all members of the community have access to the supports they need.”

“A welcomed addition to Ward 7 – the East Village Safety Hub is an innovative model that leverages key partners and strengthens this downtown community’s capacity to respond to the evolving needs of some of our most vulnerable Calgarians,” said Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong. “The anticipated referrals these partners make will ultimately create a safer city for all.”

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For more information, please contact:

Emma Stevens
Sr. Manager, Communications 
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
estevens@calgarymlc.ca 
587-387-2460