may 25 open house boards_sec_upload

8/9/2019 MAY 25 Open House Boards_sec_upload

1/30

AN INFORMED COMMUNITYACTIVE IN PREVENTING CRIME

The Calgary John Howard Society

WELCOME!

Calgary John Howard Society (CJHS), with their consultants, welcomes you to their secondInformation Session regarding their proposed Community Residential Facility (CRF)

Land Use Application.

The purpose of this session is to:

Update you on the application

Provide you with more detailed information

Discuss any questions or comments you may have.


2/30



LOCATIONWithin the Manchester Industrial Area

Near 39th Avenue C-Train Station

Close to 42nd Avenue and Macleod Trail BusStops

Closest residential neighbourhood edge is350m away on the other side of Macleod Trail

CHINOOK

MALL

ELBOW

RIVER

MACLEOD

TRAIL

SW

B

LACKFOOTTRAIL

58 AVE SE

50 AVE SE

42 AVE SE

34 AVE SE

SUBJECT SITE

MANCHESTER

INDUSTRIAL

MANCHESTER AREA

REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

39thAvenueC-Train

Parkhill/Stanley

Park

Elboya


3/30



PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTThe Calgary John Howard Society (CJHS) is proposing to a relocate an existingCommunity Residential Facility (Bedford House) and the their main administrative officesto the proposed site.

A land use redesignation application was submitted in early March. The applicationproposes to change land use from Industrial General (I-G) to a Direct Control Districtbased on the Industrial General District DC(I-G) in order to accommodate a mixed usedevelopment that includes:

a small to medium-sized Community Residential Facility (CRF) - approx.

32 beds (with a maximum of 40)

Calgary John Howard Society administration offices

Educational classrooms, andProgram Delivery Space.


4/30

AN INFORMED COMMUNITYACTIVE IN PREVENTING CRIMEThe Calgary John Howard Society

I-G

I-G

I -G

I -G

I-G

S-C

RI S-CI

DC

56Z2005

DC

72Z2002

C-COR3

DC

8Z91

C-COR2

C-COR3

R-C2

M-C1

I-R

DC

48Z97

C-COR3

M-C1

43AVENUESW

PROPOSED S-CI(COMMUNITY

INSTITUTIONDISTRICT)

54m

124m

116m

219m

11m

EXISTING

BUILDING TO

POSSIBLY

REMAIN

EXISTING

ACCESS

19m

B

UILDERSRDSE

CANADI

AN

PACIFIC

RAILWAY

LRTLINES

MACLEODTRAIL

S

46AVENUESW

MANITOUROADSE

1

STSE

42 AVE SE

50 AVE SE

MANCHESTER

INDUSTRIALAREA

PARKHILL/STANLEYPARK

ELBOYA

CO

NT

E

X

T Major wa lking route toMajor walking route toMac leod Trail/ TransitMac leod Trail/ Transit(550m)(550m)


5/30


S

IT

E

P

L

A

NNORTH SITE ACCESS

& PARKING AREA

SOUTH PARKING

AREA

SOUTH SITE ACCESS

POTENTIAL

RECREATION

SPACE

PROPOSED

FACILITY

LANDSCAPED

BUFFER STRIP

LANDSCAPED

FRONT YARD

Ma x. 40 Bed /

CRF, AdminOffices,

Educ ationalClassrooms

and ProgramDeliverySpa ce

RailS

purlin

e

RailSp

urlin

e

1stStre

etSE

Builders Road SE

Existing Light

Industrial Uses


6/30


WHAT IS A CRF?A CRF is a Community Residential Facility,commonly referred to as a halfway house.

The mandate of a CRF is to reduce crimeby successfully reintegrating offenders intosociety.

Living in a CRF is an earned priviledge, not a right - offenders must be committed to theirfull integration into the community.

Candidates for admission show positive

motivation, have insight into the factors thatled to their crime, and have a willingness toaddress those factors.

Residents get support and counsellingwithin a structured release plan thatrequires constant and consistentsupervision.

If a resident show signs he cannotadequately transition to the community,

he is returned to prison to serve theremainder of his sentence.


7/30


HOW DOES A CRF OPERATE?Residents get support and counselling within a structured program

At least two staff members are on-site at all times

House rules provide the appropriate amount of supervision, ranging from 24-hour supervision tocurfews and periodic checks on activities

Resident stay can range anywhere from a month to over two years, each resident is unique

Program staff include psychiastrists, psychologists, nurses, program facilitators and social workers

Autonomy and participation in outside activities are extended only as the resident gains personalaccountability for his actions

As the resident progresses through their programs, he may work at off-site jobs


8/30


WHY THIS LOCATION?Site has good access to C-Train and Bus transit - most residents dont have cars and need transit.

The large, non-residential site allows the Calgary John Howard Society to operate services andoffices together in a mixed use development.

The site is large enough to have its own on-site recreation amenities, such as basketball and

outdoor seating areas. There is also the opportunity for indoor gym amenities.

Residents are close to important amenities like Talismen Centre and Chinook Mall.

The site is located in an area of potential employment for residents.


9/30


OVERALL PROCESSES AND TIMELINES

The Calgary John Howard Society (CJHS) must submit/obtain approval for twodifferent applications to the City of Calgary prior to moving forward with its project.

Each of these application processes have a public consultation component during which the

public will be invited to provide comment and feedback about the application. The first isthe Land Use Amendment (re-zoning) Application and the second is the Development Permit.


10/30


LAND USE PROCESS AND TIMELINEThe Land Use Amendment Application determines if the proposed land use is appropriatefor the area.

March: Land Use Amendment Application is submitted to the City of Calgary.Copy of application is simultaneously distributed to neighbouring businesses & Community Associations.The Public is invited to provide comment and feedback on the process.

April: The City circulates the application internally.

CJHS hosts an open house to further inform and encourage comment and feedback.CJHS meets with the Elboya Community Association.

May: CJHS meets with the Parkhill/Stanley Park Executive.CJHS prepares a Information Package to be distributed by the Elboya & Parkhill/Stanley Park CAsCJHS hosts a second Information Session.The application is heard by the Calgary Planning Commission (May 27th).

July: Public Hearing of Council and Council decision (July 26th)


11/30


DEVELOPMENT PERMIT PROCESS ANDCONSTRUCTION TIMELINEThe second City application with public consultation that must be approved (prior toconstruction) is the Development Permit.

If the land use application is approved, a development permit will need to be submitted. TheDevelopment Permit will elaborate on site layout and building details.

2010-2011: Site design and development permit approval

2011-2012: Building Permit and Construction of new facility


12/30


FURTHER PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT (LAND USE)If you have any concerns/comments with the proposal we suggest you provide comments to the Cityof Calgary File Manager and the Calgary Planning Commission. In addition, you have the opportunity

to provide comments in writing or in person to City Council, prior to or on July 26th, 2010.

Other ways to get involved include:

Sign up to be a part of a special community advisory committee that can be consulted on an ongoingbasis throughout the life of the project and after the building has been constructed and is operation

Send us an email at Johnhowardhousing [email protected]

Contact us by phone: Gordon Sand 403-266-4566 or Kathy Oberg/Liisa Tipman 403-269-4733

Ask for a one-on-one meeting with a member of our project team


13/30


FURTHER PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT(DEVELOPMENT PERMIT)

Development Permit Stage:

Public Open House to introduce detailed Project development plans at developmentpermit stage

Meetings with a neighbourhood liaison committee, if one is developed, to discuss localneighbourhood issues

Input into the formal City of Calgary planning review process


14/30


We understand there are some concerns aboutsafety in the area.

The John Howard Society is a professionalcrime prevention organization that has runcriminal justice programs in the Calgary area

for 60 years.

John Howard has operated a CommunityResidential Facility (CRF) - Bedford House

in downtown Calgary for 25 years withoutincident and is supported by the BeltlineCommunity Association as a good special carefacility operator.

NEIGHBOURHOOD SAFETY

A 24-hour presence in the area is likely tohelp improve current problems with theft andvandalism. Our staff and residents will be puttingeyes on the street even after business hours.

As a crime prevention organization, we

look forward to working together with ourneighbours to reduce crime and vandalism inthe neighbourhood.


15/30


WORKING WITH OUR NEIGHBOURSThere is an opportunity to create a local committee to facilitate a good neighbouragreement with the Calgary John Howard Society (CJHS)

This formal committee will be established to discuss how to best establish a workingrelationship between the CJHS and its neighbours

A local liaison committee could also be formed between the existing neighbours andthe CJHS to help reduce existing theft and vandalism issues (and any other issues) inthe area


16/30


DIRECT CONTROL LAND USE

The proposed zoning has been recently revised to a Direct Control (DC) District.

The DC provides certainty for CJHS and the community about what the project willbecome in the future.

The DC includes rules about the maximum number of beds, the size of the CRF, the

minimum on-site recreational amenity space and mitigation of industrial noise forresidents.


17/30


SIZE OF THE FACILITY - MAX. 40 BEDSThe increase in facility size is required because of the large investment to establish anew facility, the increase in Calgarys population over 25 years, and the difficulty in

finding suitable locations for CRFs within Calgary.

Because the facility is located within an industrial area with larger buildings, the Cityconsiders the facility small in nature.

CJHS is a successful operator with 60 years of history in the Calgary area. CJHS isable to increase the number of beds without increasing any risks to the community.There are always a minimum of 2 staff members on duty at all times.


18/30


NTS

May20,

2010-11:40am

W:\1265JohnHowardSociety\dwg\1265-base_

mar1

0.dwg

Layout:distances

May 2010

Subject Lands

Walking DistanceFlying Distance

Legend

Dis tanc es from Loca l Comm uni t ies & Ameni t ies

Calgary John How ard Soc ie t y

4444 Builders Road SE

STANLEY PARK

WALKING DISTANCE - 788m

FLYING DISTANCE - 550m

PARK HILL RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY



ELBOYA RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY



CJHS PROPOSED

MIXED USE FACILITY

DREAM CENTRE



42 AVENUE SE

MACLEOD

TRAIL

BU

ILDERSROADSE

1S

TREETSE


19/30


CALGARY POLICE SERVICE COMMENTS

The Calgary Police Service (CPS), made the following formal comments about theapplication:

1. CPS is not concerned by the volume or nature of calls at the existing JHSfacility

On average two to three Calls for Service (CFS) per month were recorded at the facility over thepast 5 years. The majority of CFS at the facility were administrative in nature and reflect good

management practices more than two-thirds of CFS reflect JHS management reporting breachesof conditions, for example. Offences committed by residents from Bedford House have also beenalmost exclusively administrative in nature.

2. The Calgary Dream Centre: CPS does not foresee any issues arising from these

two locations being located in close proximity.

Both locations demonstrate responsible management practices at present.


20/30


HOUSE RULES

Bedford House has strict house rules about how its residents live. When a new resident arrivesat Bedford they may be restricted to the House 24 hours a day, seven days a week until staffset a regular curfew suitable for their situation.

Residents must inform and receive authorization from staff as to where they are going, whenthey will be back, and call in if they are to be gone longer than three hours. If they are notback within 10 minutes of the time they said they would be a Correctional Services of Canadaduty officer is notified 100% of the time. Warrants may be issued for their arrest.

A resident who is found to be in a location not previously authorized by staff may be subjectto an immediate warrant issuance, and subsequent revocation of parole. Failure to adhereto a pre-authorized schedule when a resident leaves the house is a serious infraction. TheCJHS is obliged by its contract with CSC to inform the Parole Office when such an infractionoccurs, and has a track record of complete adherence to this policy.


21/30


22/30


COMMUNITY SAFETYOf all convictions in Canada, released federal offenders who then return to prison with a newconviction were responsible for only about 1% of criminal convictions in Canada .

If a resident breaks house rules, conditions of their parole, or they do not appear to besuccessful at their programs, the CJHS has complete discretion to return them to prison.

Residents have conditions placed on them by the parole board based on public safety. If aresident has committed a crime against a child, he is not allowed to go where children gather.No residents who have committed crimes against children will be allowed to go to StanleyPark or any other kind of park where children play.


23/30


FRE QUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is the percentage of residents of Bedford House that reoffended in 2009 once they were livingin the House?

A: In 2009, two individuals re-offended, for a rate of 2.8%.

Q: How successful are halfway houses how many people are successfully reintegrated into the communityafter they have completed their stay at a halfway house?

A: In 2003-04 the percentage of offenders who successfully completed day parole in Canada was 84.7%.Of the remaining 15.3% who were not successful, the majority (~ 12%) of day parolees returned to prisonwere for technical violations (eg. missing curfew, having a drink of alcohol or other parole violations).This means that of all convictions, released federal offenders re-admitted with a new conviction wereresponsible for only about 1% of criminal convictions in Canada.

Q: Has Bedford House impacted the crime rate in the Victoria Park neighbourhood in the 25 years youhave operated there?

A: We are not aware of any crimes committed in the Victoria Park area by our residents. The residentsof Bedford House have had a positive impact in the community by participating in community events,shovelling sidewalks and being available in emergencies.

1 of 4


24/30



Q: What kinds of crimes have the people committed who live in Bedford House?

A: Our population comes from federal prisons. We do not select based on offense type so our populationis a subset of the prisons. We select our residents based on the type of risk they would potentially bringand determine if we can manage that risk successfully. If we believe the candidate is too high-risk for

reintegration into the community we do not accept them at Bedford House.

Q: Why do you think your programs make the community safer? Youre bringing criminals into thecommunity.

A: History has been shown that providing offenders with a transitional housing arrangement halfway

between prison and full release, will result in that offender having a more successful transition to thecommunity and it is less likely they will reoffend. The residents of Bedford House would have servedout most of the term of their sentence and have exhibited their desire to change their behaviours and areconsidered good candidates for a community-based program.

We are making Calgary a safer place to live through the use of Community ResidentialFacilities (CRFs). The alternative would be to release offenders directly into the communitywith no transition or assistance. History has shown that if no supports are in place foran offender they are more likely to reoffend.

2 of 4


25/30



Q: What are your timelines for this proposal? When do you expect the City to make a decision aboutit?

A: The City is expected to make a decision about the land use redesignation proposal on July 26, 2010

at a meeting of City Council.

Q: Can you choose who you accept into the residence?

A: Yes, in 2009 we reviewed 302 cases accepted 195, deferred 39 and did not accept 68.

Q: Why is it necessary to increase in the size of the facility to 32-40 beds?

A: Since 1985 when Bedford House was first opened in Calgary, the city of Calgary has grown substantially.The population of Calgary in 1985 was approximately 550,000. In 2010, the citys population has nowincreased in size to over a million. It follows that the need to serve this population of the society has also

increased. In addition, due to the difficulty of rezoning any property, we have built in capacity for extrabeds in case we require room to grow.

3 of 4


26/30



Q: Are you willing to put in place a policy that none of your residents who have been convicted of asexual offence are allowed to visit Stanley Park or any other neighborhood playgrounds?

A: Through a Good Neighbour Agreement which we would like to establish with surrounding businesses

and communities, we could commit to placing some restrictions on some of our residents who have hadcertain types of offences. For example, if one of our residents had been convicted of a sexual crime againsta child, they would not be permitted to go where children gather, such as Stanley Park playground.

Q: Assuming there are days when a resident has no outside employment or programs to attend in or

outside the facility, how is this free time spent?A: Much like anyone, when they have a day off, they may read, do activities within the house or visitfriends and family. Bedford House would be their home while they are living there, so the activities theydo inside their home are as varied as the individual.

4 of 4


27/30


PUBLIC CONSULTATION

March 3, 2010

- Submitted application to the City of Calgarys.

- Hand-delivered a copy of the application with a letter tosurrounding businesses.

- Issued a Calgary-wide news release which had some pick-upthat same week.

- Invited people to contact us via email or telephone.

March and April 2010

- Personally invited area Community Associations to meet with

us to discuss the proposal.- Initiated contact with concerned individuals to discuss issues

and concerns directly.

April 13, 2010

- Held an informal Information Session at proposed new site forBedford House. Approximately 60 people attended.

April 29, 2010

- Met with the Executive of the Elboya Community Association.

May 6, 2010

- Prepared an Information Package for area residents/business. Sent to Parkhill/Stanley Park and ElboyaCAs for distribution. Adjacent Industrial Neighbourswere also sent a copy.

May 11, 2010

- Met with the Executive of the Parkhill/Stanley ParkCommunity Association.

May 17, 2010

- News Story on Global-TV regarding the proposal.

May 24, 2010

- News Story in the Calgary Herald regarding theprocess.

May 25, 2010- Second Information Session.

- News Story on CBC Radio Morningregarding the process.


28/30


A Staff Story of a Resident.

I was in traffic a t a red light whe n I hea rd a horn honking. I ignored it until I hea rd som eone c a lling my na me three c arsawa y. I loo ked out the window and a forme r resident, who left Bed ford house a bout four mo nths p rior, wa s wa ving a tme . I lea ned out the windo w to say hi. He ha d an ea r to e ar grin and wa s exc ited when he spoke: Hey! I just boug htthis van a nd I have a full time job ! I just wanted to say thanks to you g uys for helping me! I smiled and c ong ra tula tedhim o n his new job and told him: It wa sn t us tha t ma de you suc c eed, it wa s a ll you. We were here to support you, andyou p ut in the wo rk you needed to suc c eed so goo d on ya! He smiled and asked this writer to p ass on his thanks to therest of the sta ff. The light turned green and in my rea r view mirror I still remember the smile a nd look of p ride on his fac eas we wa ved go od b ye.

A Resident Stor


29/30


A Resident Story.

I ha ve been a resident a t Bedford House sinc e Dec ember 3rd , 2009. Prior to tha t I was a t Bowden Institution. Tha t is whereI had met Lac ey Leibel and Rob Morrison for thefirst time . Before m ee ting them I som ewhat felt that g oing to a ha lfwa y

house wo uld be short lived and I wo uld be returning tofinish the rest of my sentenc e in a fed era l institution.

During m y intake w ith Lac ey and Rob , I felt c om fortab le enoug h to open up a little more than I thoug ht I wo uld and theyassured me I had a c hanc e a t a fresh sta rt and they would be the re to help and assist me. So if p rob lem s and situa tionstha t I felt were to o b ig or overwhe lming to hand le c ame up, there would be support ava ilab le a t a ll times. They a lso to ldme that they rea lly do c are a nd it wa s muc h more than just a job to them - that the rea l payment would be to see me ge ta fresh sta rt a nd live a positive, p rod uc tive lifestyle tha t would be a benefit to me and m y family.

Of c ourse by living positive a nd p rod uc tive, it c ould and p rob ab ly would benefit the c om munity as we ll.

So upon a rriva l to Bed ford House, I felt som ew ha t shell shoc ked and there rea lly was so many things going throug h myhea d tha t I felt needed to b e a dd ressed . But a fter sitting dow n and ta lking things throug h with Rob and som e o f the othersta ff, I felt muc h more foc used on what I need ed to d o.

I think the way the sta ff have trea ted me here a t Bed ford House has had a rea l positive e ffec t on how I fee l tod ay. Theyhave b een supportive to my nee ds with my programm ing, the c om munity support, and my work. They have a llow ed meroo m to feel som ew hat indep end ent w hile a t the same time mo nitoring my d a ily ac tivities to ensure tha t the rules andpolic ies a re m et . The house ac tivities tha t Mic key Ca rlisle has c oo rd ina ted have a lso had a positive effec t on soc ia lizingme ba c k into the comm unity.

My sentenc e w ill be c om pleted in August, 2010. I fee l tha t without the support and bac king g iven b ythe sta ff at Bed ford House, my future w ould not look as positive as I fee l tha t it d oe s today.


30/30


THANK YOU FOR COMING

Feel free to call Kathy Oberg/Liisa Tipman (403.269.4733) if youhave any further questions.

may 25 open house boards_sec_upload

Documents