City of Lethbridge partners with The Watch for outreach services at encampments [Video]

LETHBRIDGE –

A new partnership between the City of Lethbridge, Lethbridge Police Service and The Watch aims to improve outreach services for those living in encampments.

“The encampment team will give notice and we will go in prior to the clean-up and try to offer outreach at that point,” said Shane Kisinger, manager of The Watch.

“It’s a natural fit for our team to be able to provide outreach services in conjunction with community social development (CSD), as part of our daily work to help connect people with the supports and resources they need.”

As part of the ongoing encampment strategy, which was approved in June 2023, The Watch will take over outreach duties from an outside contractor – a move Kisinger sees as positive.

“We have good relationships with the at-risk population and for us and our team, it allows us to do a little more and it allows us to …