Night Safety Centre

Brief Description

Run by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), the Night Safety Centre Partnership provides individuals who are involved in sexual exploitation temporary safety from violence, respite from the street, basic needs, supportive listening/counselling, and referrals. This allows clients to build a positive relationship with the Centre staff, which is crucial to the transition out of sexual exploitation and increases reporting assault and victimization to police. Clients of the Centre have increased their personal safety, reduced their isolation, and gained positive supports. The protective factors will position them to improve their situation and change their lifestyle positively.

Goals

The main goals of the Night Safety Centre Partnership project are to:

• Address or prevent night-time violent crimes perpetrated against vulnerable, sexually exploited women, men and transgender persons;
• Reduce entry to the sex trade and incidents of relapse (addictions and sexual exploitation); and
• Increase the safety of these persons through violence prevention and connection to community and government resources.

Clientele

The appropriate clientele for the Night Safety Centre Partnership project are individuals aged 18 - 55 who are being exploited in the sex trade or are victims of assault during night hours. They will have the opportunity to protect themselves from further instances of violence, and will have options to end their involvement in prostitution, addictions, homelessness, and the criminal justice system.

Core Components

The Night Safety Centre Partnership project supports sexually exploited individuals to reduce the level of risk in which they place themselves. The core components include:

• Outreach: Contacts with sexually exploited persons involved in the survival sex trade (street prostitution);
• Network with program partners: The partners were representative of a broad cross-section of agencies who deal with sexual exploitation in Edmonton; and
• Prevention: Project helped to prevent victimization.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The lead organization should have the capacity to offer support services to sexually exploited individuals in Edmonton, and be able to provide trauma recovery counseling and healing, employment training and financial literacy.
• Partnerships: Partnership should involve the following agencies: Edmonton Police Service (EPS), CEASE: Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, Boyle McCauley Health Centre - Kindred House Program, E4C – Crossroads Program, and REACH Edmonton: Council for Safe Communities.
• Training and technical assistance: Limited information on this topic.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The Night Safety Centre Partnership project has been implemented in Edmonton (Alberta) from 2011 to 2014. Funding was provided through the Safe Communities Innovation Fund (SCIF), Government of Alberta.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) has been conducted on the Night Safety Centre Partnership project. The findings from this study have shown the following:

• The SROI ratio is 1.78:1, demonstrating that for every dollar invested in the project a social value of $1.78 was created; and
• Social value was created through reduction in health care and social service resources associated with sex trade workers. 

References

Alberta Community Crime Prevention Organizations. (2015). Social Return on Investment (SROI) Case Study: Night Safety Centre. Recipient of Safe Communities Innovation Fund, Government of Alberta. Available from: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/safe-communities-innovation-fund-pilot-project-executive-summaries

For more information on this program, contact:

Cease
Kate Quinn
Telephone: (780)471-6143
E-mail: director@ceasenow.org