Workshop to address street safety concerns downtown Vernon

VERNON – Local agencies are responding to concerns about street safety in the downtown core by teaching businesses how to interact with street people in the area.

A workshop is being offered next week to help teach businesses and property owners how to manage interactions with Vernon’s street population to prevent things from escalating.

The workshop is being hosted by the Downtown Vernon Association and Partners in Action Committee, and follows a recent incident involving a food truck vendor being attacked by an individual on 30th Avenue.

The workshop will provide education and resources to the business community, Downtown Vernon Association Executive Director Lara Konkin says in a release. She adds many members of Vernon’s street population have mental health and substance use issues as well as other challenges.

“There are definitely ways to manage the recent concerns and prevent these issues from escalating,” she says.

Representatives from community policing, the bylaw department and the RCMP will be on hand to provide strategies for responding to various types of incidents and how to manage safety concerns, regardless of who is causing the concern.

The Upper Room Mission, John Howard Society and Social Planning Council are also involved in organizing the workshop.

An information package will be made available on the association’s website for those who cannot attend. 

The workshop is on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Schubert Centre.

Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP at 250-542-5851.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.