Three ways TMU partnerships help foster a safer campus community

The TMU campus is located in one of the busiest intersections in the country, and thousands of people visit the neighbourhood every day. This means that challenges in the broader downtown Toronto community that materialize on campus are best addressed by a proactive, community-centric approach to safety and security.

TMU’s Community Safety and Security team engages both internal and external partners to build a safer and more inclusive campus community. Partnerships with various departments across campus, as well as with social and government agencies, help the university actively address the unique challenges near Yonge-Dundas.

“Given how porous the TMU campus is, our approach to campus safety and security is to  support our community through key partnerships,” said Maggie Fisher, director of community engagement strategy at TMU. 

“It’s not just about supporting our campus community, but also our neighbourhood community. With so many people moving through our campus every day, it’s important that we maintain a safe and inclusive environment, not just for students and employees, but for all of our neighbours.”

Supporting vulnerable community members

Established in Spring 2022 as a pilot project, the Strategic Outreach and Response Team (SORT) includes TMU security staff who connect street-involved people with the most appropriate services that can help meet their short and long term needs.

Through SORT, the university collaborates with community agencies to identify and address the root causes of the mental health, substance abuse and housing-related challenges affecting vulnerable members of our community. The SORT has partnered with local agencies like Toronto Public Health, Streets to Homes and the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) to conduct weekly campus outreach walks. 

“If a member of the team encounters an individual in need, we try to provide them with tailored assistance that helps meet their immediate needs,” says Karim Brahimi, crime prevention and community engagement specialist at TMU. 

“Whether it’s providing that person with food, water, clothing, or some type of referral, we do the best we can to support them in that exact moment. If we can’t assist them on the spot, we make sure we refer them to the right service so they can get the help they need.”

While taking outreach walks, SORT members are equipped to provide various supports should they encounter a community member in distress, including providing emergency medical assistance, administering Naloxone in the event of an overdose, and employing techniques and strategies for de-escalating potentially violent situations.

Leveraging non-uniformed, emergency response supports

Recognizing the diversity of lived experiences many community members have with uniformed security or law enforcement, Community Safety and Security has integrated the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) 211 support line (external link)  and Canada’s 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline (external link)  into TMU’s response support for community members involved in non-violent crises. 

211 support line

The TCCS support line, available for free by dialing 211, is a confidential community-based, non-police response service that dispatches trained multidisciplinary teams of crisis workers to respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. With a focus on health, well-being, and prevention, 211 is a client-centred, trauma-informed alternative to calling 911. 

“TCCS is really great because it's non-uniformed staff. It's a consent-based service, so they only come if somebody is interested in talking to them, but they're happy to sit with somebody – not only somebody who is in crisis, but even somebody who is in pre-crisis. They can sit down with someone, explore their options, and they also provide a 90-day follow up service,” Fisher shared.

988 crisis helpline

If you or someone you’ve encountered is struggling to cope or is dealing with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, 988 is a confidential phone and text-based service that will connect an individual with a trained responder who will listen without judgement and provide appropriate support and resources. A bilingual and trauma-informed service, 988 will only engage the police or other emergency services if the caller is at immediate risk of dying or harming themself.

“We want all community members to feel empowered to call 211 or 988 if they suspect someone is experiencing a non-violent crisis on campus or are at risk of self-harm,” said Fisher. “If someone is unsure about which service is more appropriate, we encourage them to approach any member of the Community Safety and Security team who will then connect that individual with the most appropriate supports.”

Collaborating with internal partners

The Community Safety and Security team engages with other departments at the university to enhance campus safety. 

For example, when the 2020 Anti-Black Racism Campus Climate Review highlighted complex experiences with campus security among Black students, staff and faculty at TMU, the team strengthened their work with the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI). The two departments partner on a variety of initiatives and OVPECI consults with Community Safety and Security on delivering mandatory anti-racism and inclusion training and workshops to all security staff and leadership.

“Our team has been really involved in supporting the university's efforts to confront anti-Black racism,” explains Fisher. “We are committed to consistently improving the education we deliver to the team, reviewing our policies and complaint procedures, finding new ways to engage with Black community members, and organizing community-focused events like our Black student and security mixer that supports relationship building.”

The crime prevention and community engagement team also partners with Covenant House (external link)  and TMU’s Career, Co-op and Student Success Centre to host an annual Free Boutique that provides vulnerable youth with free access to new and gently used business clothing and everyday wear.

“This year, the event was held on March 8 and we had 45 Covenant House youth leave with bags of clothing, donated by departments across TMU,” said Brahimi. “After the event, we opened up the free boutique to TMU students as well. More than 100 of them came and left with shoes, shirts, pants and other essentials.”

Fisher recognized that building relationships with local organizations has many additional benefits for vulnerable community members.

“Because of our great relationship with the organization, youth in Covenant House see TMU staff there, they see that we want to help them thrive, we want to support them, and they start trusting us to guide them in the right direction,” she said.

Learn more about community engagement partnerships

Through these innovative partnerships, the Community Safety and Security team is proactively addressing the complex needs of community members around campus. To learn more about how the team is providing frontline response to issues and incidents on campus using a collaborative approach, visit the Community Safety and Security’s community engagement site.