The Community Safety Hosts Initiative

The Community Safety Host Initiative created a new service category: not security, not social work, but a distinct professional role that can replace conventional security in spaces where enforcement approaches fail. Community Safety Hosts are recruited based on values, relational ability and community insight, then developed into professionals. Each Host completes over 170 hours of foundational training (compared to approximately 40 hours for standard security guard certification in Manitoba), followed by 200 hours of mentored practicum before independent deployment. This isn’t volunteerism or peer support; it’s a career with living wages, ongoing development and professional expectations.

The initiative operates through a partnership between Zoongizi Ode, an Indigenous-led nonprofit providing governance and cultural accountability and Persons Community Solutions, the operational partner. Site partners include five Winnipeg Public Library inner-city branches, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Access Centres and other public-facing facilities. CSHI’s wrap-around support model treats frontline workers as professionals deserving investment, not disposable contractors. Field Mentors provide ongoing support. Custom-built digital systems handle scheduling, daily reporting and real-time communication, reducing administrative burden while maintaining accountability.

The program measures impact through Rapid Ethnographic Assessment: daily reports capturing relationship development, de-escalations, service connections and community trends. This generates actionable intelligence about community conditions while documenting outcomes that matter. In 2025, CSHI began transitioning to community ownership through a newly created nonprofit, Sihpiko Kihee, which serves as a secretariat governed by the community members it is meant to serve. This was always the design intention: PCS builds for independence, not dependency.