Surrey’s SMART program reaches major milestone

THE Surrey Mobilization and Resiliency Table (SMART) reached its 500th intervention in January, marking a major milestone in the history of the program.

A first-of-its-kind program in B.C., SMART was established in 2015 by the City of Surrey to identify and proactively meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing extreme social challenges including poverty, substance abuse, homelessness and mental health. SMART continues to serve as a best practice model for the development of similar tables across the Province.

“SMART is a collaborative, partner-based intervention model that is designed to address community issues before they require emergency services,” said Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “SMART connects vulnerable individuals and families with critical supports available in our community. The multi-agency response and intervention provided by SMART is making a difference in helping those most in need of social, health and community support.”

SMART’s multi-disciplinary team, made up of law enforcement, corrections, housing, health and social services, meets once a week to identify individuals and situations requiring intervention. Since inception, 60% of cases have been closed because the overall risks have been lowered and connections to services have been made. The average number of risk factors per case is 11.6 with the top three risk factors being identified as Housing, Mental Health and Drugs.

This community safety intervention model (also known as “hub” model) originated in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and has been established in over 100 communities across Canada. Currently there are 14 similar programs across B.C. with nine more being onboarded.

For more information, including a list of SMART partners, visit surrey.ca/communitysafety.