COMMUNITY SAFETY

The Big Picture

Healthy communities are safe communities. Municipalities have an important role to play in creating the conditions for safety and well-being, but they cannot do it alone. Improving community safety requires all levels of government, community organizations, police, health-care providers and others to work together so people can access housing, mental health and addictions supports before reaching a crisis. 

The Ontario government recently introduced new legislation to provide municipalities with tools and funding to address these issues through the use of police and the criminal justice system, including Bill 6, the Safer Municipalities Act, 2025, and Bill 10, the Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, 2025.  

Community-based mental health and addictions care providers also have a role to play in addressing the underlying health and social factors contributing to these issues. Encampments, visible homelessness and public drug use are symptoms of the housing, mental health and toxic drug crises, not the cause.  

Concerns you’re likely to hear

The role of community mental health and addictions services 

Community mental health organizations play a critical role in supporting people with mental health and substance use challenges. As demand for services continues to grow, organizations often face funding, staffing and capacity pressures that can make it difficult to meet the needs of everyone seeking support. 

Public safety and community well-being 

You may hear concerns that homelessness and unhoused individuals make communities feel less safe. It is important to recognize that these issues are signs of unmet health and social needs. People experiencing homelessness are also often at increased risk of violence, poor health and other safety concerns. Effective responses should support both community well-being and the safety and dignity of people experiencing homelessness. 

Substance use and public spaces 

Individuals in your community may have concerns about substance use in public spaces and want responses that improve safety and reduce harm. Incarceration alone does not address the underlying factors that contribute to substance use.  Limited access and availability of harm reduction services can contribute to public drug use and improperly discarded equipment. Communities should consider evidence-informed approaches that connect people with health care, treatment, housing and other supports. 

What the evidence says

  • Mental illness and substance use alone are not reliable predictors of violence. Most people living with mental health or substance use challenges are not violent and are more likely to experience victimization than to perpetrate it. Risk is shaped by multiple factors, including unmet needs, trauma, poverty, housing instability and access to appropriate supports. i ii 
  • Stable housing supports health and community safety. Housing instability can make it harder to maintain treatment, recovery and connections to community. Stable, affordable and supportive housing can reduce the harms associated with homelessness and provide the stability people need to access ongoing mental health and addictions care. iii 
  • Community safety is broader than enforcement. Many situations involving mental health, substance use or homelessness are health and social issues rather than criminal matters. Community-based crisis response, outreach, health care and supportive services can provide more appropriate responses while reducing pressure on police, emergency departments and the justice system.iv There is no evidence that punishing people for not having adequate shelter or for using drugs in public spaces decreases drug use or homelessness.v 

What you can do

  • Collaborate with community organizations such as Canadian Mental Health Association to address these issues with a health-focused approach.  
  • Investigate where people are falling through the cracks and make the case for greater investment in community mental health and addictions services.  
  • Advocate for sustainable provincial and federal investments in mental health and social services, including supportive housing, and evidence-informed, voluntary treatment and recovery supports for opioid and other substance use disorders.  

Innovative approaches from Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branches 

  • CMHA branches across Ontario are involved in mobile crisis response teams, partnering with local police and other community organizations to resolve mental health crises on scene and connect people experiencing a mental health crisis with appropriate care and supports. 
  • CMHA branches participate in multidisciplinary outreach teams that include housing workers, nurses, peer support workers, social workers, and addictions specialists.  These outreach services connect people experiencing homelessness to housing, mental health, addictions and social supports in a trusted community setting.  
  • 16 CMHA branches are leads or partners in provincially-funded Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs across the province, which include a variety of wraparound supports such as case management, counselling, peer support, vocational services, occupational therapy, primary care and more. 

Learn more about community safety and mental health and addictions

  • Connect with your local CMHA branch to learn about their collaborations with first responders and emergency services 

Questions? Contact us at info@cmhabriefingroom.ca 

Sources for this factsheet are available at cmhabriefingroom.ca/resources