Skip to content
  • Mass Time Finder
  • Parish Locator
  • Donate
  • Search
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • The WINDOW Newsletter
    • Upfront Podcast
    • Pilgrimages
    • Workshops & Seminars
  • Faith
    • About the Catholic Faith
    • People of Mission
    • Advent & Christmas Resources
    • Sacraments
      • Baptism
      • Reconciliation
      • Confirmation
      • Eucharist
        • About the Mass
      • The Sacrament of Marriage
        • Steps to Getting Married
        • Marriage Preparation
      • Holy Orders
      • Anointing of the Sick
    • Chapel of Perpetual Adoration
    • Becoming Catholic (RCIA)
    • Liturgy
  • Ministries & Services
    • Administration & Offices
      • Accounting and Finance
      • Archives and Sacramental Records
      • Building Services
      • Communications
      • Human Resources
      • Information Technology
      • Marriage Tribunal (Annulment)
    • Cemeteries
    • Indigenous Relations
      • Catholic Truth and Reconciliation Resources
      • Delegation To Rome – Spring 2022
      • Walking Together: The Papal Apology and Visit of Reconciliation – July 2022
      • Indigenous Reconciliation Fund
        • Grant Application – Indigenous Reconciliation Fund
      • Residential Schools
    • Safe Environment & Abuse Prevention
      • Report Abuse
      • Called to Protect
      • Volunteer Management
    • Youth & Young Adults
      • Activities
      • Camp
      • Schools & Colleges
      • World Youth Day
    • Life & Family
      • Marriage Enrichment
      • Family Planning
      • Grief
      • Courage – Encourage
      • Divorced and Re-married
      • Marriage Tribunal (Annulment)
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations
      • Ecumenical Annual Reports
    • Social Justice
      • Interfaith Housing Initiative
      • No Room in the Inn
      • Development & Peace
    • Hospital & Healthcare Ministry
      • Pastoral Care Visitors
      • Chaplains
    • Prison Ministry
    • Papal Blessings
    • Our Lady of Victory Camp
  • Get Involved
    • Find a Career
    • Serve on Parish Council
      • Together in Ministry
    • Homebound & Hospital Visits
      • Pastoral Care Certificate
  • Vocations
    • Priesthood
    • Permanent Diaconate
    • St. Joseph’s Seminary
    • Vocations
    • Consecrated Life
  • Ways to Give
    • Donate Now
    • Together We Serve
      • How Gifts are Shared
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Resources for Parishes
    • Legacy Giving
    • Fundraising Events
    • Foundation of St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College
  • Archbishop
    • Offices & Staff
    • Pastoral Letters
    • Messages & Homilies
    • Upfront Podcast
    • Hope & Dignity: A Catholic Response to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
    • Synod
    • Archbishop’s Dinner
  • About
    • Parishes & Mass Times
    • History
      • Coat of Arms
      • Icon of St. Joseph the Worker
      • Past Bishops
    • Archives & Records
    • Priests
    • Consecrated Orders
    • Retreat Centres
    • Councils & Committees
      • Lay Associations
    • Schools & Colleges
    • Offices & Staff
    • Careers
    • Policies & Procedures
    • Annual Reports
    • Twin Diocese
  • Contact
  • Find a Mass, Parish, or Priest
  • Mass Time Finder
  • Donate
  • News
    • News
    • Events
    • The WINDOW Newsletter
    • Upfront Podcast
    • Pilgrimages
    • Workshops & Seminars
  • Faith
    • About the Catholic Faith
    • People of Mission
    • Advent & Christmas Resources
    • Sacraments
      • The Sacrament of Marriage
        • Marriage Preparation
      • Baptism
      • Reconciliation
      • Eucharist
        • About the Mass
      • Confirmation
      • Holy Orders
      • Anointing of the Sick
      • Archives and Sacramental Records
        • Registers of Closed, Merged, or Twinned Parishes
    • Chapel of Perpetual Adoration
    • Becoming Catholic (RCIA)
    • Liturgy
  • Ministries & Services
    • Administration & Offices
      • Accounting and Finance
      • Archives and Sacramental Records
        • Registers of Closed, Merged, or Twinned Parishes
      • Building Services
      • Communications
      • Human Resources
      • Information Technology
      • Marriage Tribunal (Annulment)
    • Cemeteries
    • Indigenous Relations
      • Catholic Truth and Reconciliation Resources
      • Indigenous Delegation to Rome – Spring 2022
      • Papal Visit
      • Indigenous Reconciliation Fund
      • Residential Schools
    • Safe Environments & Abuse Prevention
      • Report Abuse
      • Called to Protect
      • Volunteer Management
    • Youth & Young Adults
      • Activities
      • Camp
      • Schools & Colleges
      • World Youth Day
    • Marriage Enrichment
    • Family Planning
    • Divorced and Re-married
    • Marriage Tribunal (Annulment)
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations (Private)
      • Ecumenical Annual Reports
    • Social Justice
      • Development & Peace
      • Interfaith Housing Initiative
      • No Room in the Inn
    • Hospital & Healthcare Ministry
      • Chaplains
      • Home-bound & Hospitalized Visitations
    • Prison Ministry
    • Papal Blessings
    • Our Lady of Victory Camp
  • Get Involved
    • Careers
    • Together in Ministry
    • Home-bound & Hospitalized Visitations
      • Pastoral Care Certificate
    • Become a Volunteer
  • Vocations
    • Priesthood
      • St. Joseph's Seminary
    • Permanent Diaconate
    • Consecrated Life
  • Ways to Give
    • Donate Now
    • Together We Serve
      • Resources for Parishes
      • How Gifts are Shared
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Legacy Giving
    • Faith, Fitness, and Fun Run
    • Newman Golf Classic
    • The Foundation of St. Joseph Seminary and Newman Theological College
  • Archbishop Richard W. Smith
    • Offices & Staff
    • Pastoral Letters
    • Messages & Homilies
    • Upfront Podcast
    • Hope & Dignity: A Catholic response to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
    • Synod on Synodality
    • Archbishop’s Dinner
  • About the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton
    • Parish & Mass Times
    • History
      • Coat of Arms
      • Icon of St. Joseph the Worker
      • Past Bishops
    • Priests
    • Consecrated Orders
    • Councils & Committees
      • Lay Associations
    • Schools & Colleges
    • Offices & Staff
    • Careers
    • Policies & Procedures
    • Financial Reports
    • Archives and Sacramental Records
    • Twin Diocese
    • Retreat Centres
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
Parishes & Mass Times
Find Clergy
Donate
Become a Volunteer

Latest News

All News

Local family invests everything into founding global Catholic media mission

A Vegreville family has started a media ministry focused on making Catholic prayer and the Holy Mass accessible to people…
Continue Reading

Upcoming Events

All Events
Life in the Spirit Seminar - D...
2023-12-01
Understanding the Complex Fire...
2023-12-01
Ron Rolheiser Public Lecture "...
2023-12-01

Pastoral and Administration Offices

Office Hours
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday
780-469-1010
1-844-469-1010 (Toll free)
780-465-3003
8421 101 Avenue NW
Edmonton AB T6A 0L1

Police, Catholic Social Services eye new partnerships to cut poverty and crime

26 September 2019

Appears in: Archdiocesan News

In a shared hope to reduce crime and poverty in the Edmonton area, city police and Catholic Social Services (CSS) are making partnership a priority in the coming year.

Speaking at CSS’s annual public meeting on Sept. 25, Chief Dale McFee of the Edmonton Police Service said the key to stopping crime is reducing its causes first and foremost. He sees partnerships with agencies such as CSS as pivotal to addressing those causes.

“We don’t have to solve the problems if we can stop the problems from happening,” said McFee, noting the role domestic abuse, drug use and poverty can play in criminal behaviour.

“There’s a good chance that a lot of the people we deal with are facing these same issues social services deal with. It’s the work groups like CSS does that can provide a stable environment and the potential for long lasting solutions for people.

“If you look at our homeless, at the people living in tents downtown, there are better outcomes we need to get them out of that system, rather than just evictions and moving them around.”

CSS provides services that address homelessness, addiction recovery, mental health, immigrant and refugee support, and other forms of community outreach. Over its 60-year history, it has become the largest social service agency in Alberta:

    • Between April 2018 and March 2019, CSS helped 19,550 people across 12 municipalities.
    • The agency currently employs 18,000 people
    • CSS has more than 500 volunteers.
    • Its annual report for 2019 shows revenue of $98.9 million, spending of $98.3 million on provision of services.

According to McFee, the EPS Community Safety and Well-Being Bureau is currently investigating what community partnerships have the most potential, and meetings will be arranged in the near future.

Strengthened partnerships are a key priority for CSS as well, said CEO Troy Davies.

“We agree with Chief McFee that if we bring our community organizations together to see where we are most needed and what can be done, the impact can be so much more powerful than working alone,” Davies said.

Reducing homelessness is an issue of rising importance to both agencies. Tents and homeless camps are a growing sight in Edmonton’s inner city, particularly near the Bissell Centre and Boyle Street.

Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee expresses the importance of partnerships with Catholic Social Services CEO Troy Davies, left, and chairperson Carole Anctil-Michalyshyn.

City Coun. Scott McKeen, who also spoke at the CSS annual public meeting, said the city has proposed to build 900 new units of permanent supportive housing over the next six years. The project needs funding and support from the provincial and federal government, along with groups like CSS.

Homelessness is tackled in several CSS initiatives.

St. Joseph’s Home provides end-of-life care for the homeless.

The Welcome Home program helps formerly homeless people build friendships to help prevent their return to a life on the streets.

The Edmonton Archdiocese also plays a role in finding solutions, as a member of the Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative, which advocates for affordable housing and ending homelessness in the city.

“Police can’t solve all of these issues, but collectively Alberta has the services and the ability to do this,” said McFee. “I have a great deal of respect for the work CSS does in our communities and I look forward to working with them.”

Held at the Edmonton Expo Centre, the event reflected the progress Catholic Social Services made over the past year and potential partnerships they may have with Edmonton Police Services.

The newest program offering by Catholic Social Services is Morning Star, which will provide access to basic necessities like food, personal hygiene products, and shower and laundry facilities to vulnerable women in Red Deer. It will launch in October.

Morning Star is funded by Sign of Hope, a campaign for programs that are solely funded through charitable donations.

“It’s for women who oftentimes cannot access certain resources because it might put them in a place of vulnerability, or it’s where they may run into their abuser,” said Davies. “We had no service quite like this in the area, and in general we’ve been looking to grow our Sign of Hope programs in Red Deer and surrounding communities.”

As the agency looks ahead to 2020, Davies attributes their continued success to the message of the Gospel:

“We are rooted in a sacred tradition that calls us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned and to welcome the stranger,” he said. “No one stands outside our circle of compassion.”

Tags:

Catholic Social Services Dale McFee Edmonton Police Service poverty Scott McKeen

Recent Posts

  • Archdiocesan News

    Local family invests everything into founding global Catholic media mission
    November 29, 2023

    A Vegreville family has started a media ministry focused on making Catholic prayer and the Holy Mass accessible to people…

    Continue Reading

  • Archdiocesan News

    Long-awaited celebration with Archbishop at “undaunted” Innisfail parish after tragic loss
    November 28, 2023

    Over the weekend of November 26, Archbishop Richard Smith made a pastoral visit to the community of Our Lady of…

    Continue Reading

  • Archdiocesan News

    Catholic Survey on Medical Assistance in Dying
    November 16, 2023

    The Archdiocese of Edmonton invites you to participate in a survey on Medical Assistance in Dying. We are hoping to…

    Continue Reading

  • Archdiocesan News

    Prepare your hearts and marriages through the hope of Advent
    November 15, 2023

    “The season of Advent, restores this horizon of hope, a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on…

    Continue Reading

  • Archdiocesan News

    St. Gregory the Great parish in Holden to close
    October 31, 2023

    With great sadness, the Archdiocese of Edmonton accepts the decision of the St. Gregory the Great community to close the…

    Continue Reading

Pastoral & Administration Offices
8421 101 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6A 0L1
Phone: 780-469-1010
Toll-free: 1-844-469-1010
Privacy Information
Terms of Use
2023 Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton