Vancouver City Council approves $20,000 for street team for Granville Entertainment District

AS part of the ongoing efforts to improve safety and security in Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District, Vancouver City Council has approved a one-time grant of $20,000 to maintain operations of the Good Night Out street team until January 2019.

With a focus on the safety and security of women and vulnerable populations, the Good Night Out street team helps to reduce sexual harassment and de-escalate conflicts and incidents in areas that have a lot of evening entertainment venues or at specific events.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Good Night Out street team members provide support to people in the Granville Entertainment District who may need assistance. Services include conflict resolution, by-stander intervention, walking patrons to transportation, reconnecting people with members in their party, basic first aid, and contacting emergency support if needed. Team members are equipped with basic first aid supplies, naloxone kits, water, snacks, and phone chargers.

In May of this year, City Council asked City staff to staff pursue opportunities for a collaborative funding partnership to support a permanent Good Night Out Program. This grant will allow Good Night Out to continue operations through the holiday season without interruption until long-term partnership funding is secured.

This interim funding will be used to provide service and supplies for four street team members and two additional logistics members. Logistics team members provide support to the street team members during their shift, ensure all shifts are staffed and all members are trained.

The street team liaise with police, emergency services and liquor-service establishments in the Granville Entertainment District. The Good Night Out team will share a summary report of incident data with the City to help identify and understand incidents on the street.