Operated by the HomeBASE program at Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta South Region, the Diversion Outreach Team (DOT) offers a mobile diversion response to vulnerable individuals who may be facing homelessness, mental health concerns or addictions on the streets of Lethbridge. DOT actively liaises with concerned citizens, community businesses and emergency services to address concerns regarding individuals who are intoxicated and require access to emergency shelter services or other appropriate housing options.
Through their outreach, the DOT works daily to mitigate problematic situations in the downtown area and in other identified hotspots in the community with both transportation and referral services as needed. DOT actively refers individuals accessing their services to other community supports and works from a harm reduction approach to actively reduce the effects of addictions and homelessness on our community.
For Assistance Call
(403) 892-3707
Weekdays: 6 am – 10 pm
Weekends: 6 am – 6 pm
DOT Call Triage
Due to the amount and variety of calls, DOT triages calls on case-by-case basis. Therefore, calls are prioritized to ensure the most at risk and vulnerable are attended to first.
Priority #1 – Emergency Services (Police/EMS/Fire)
In order to reduce system usage and to allow local emergency services to better focus on emergency situations, DOT accepts and prioritizes calls from Police, Fire and EMS to increase system capacity and emergency response time within the city.
Priority #2 – Professionals/Business Community
Often many of the community who live and work downtown are the first to see individuals who might be suffering from homelessness or struggling with addiction. We encourage our local businesses to contact DOT when such encounters occur to ensure that these vulnerable individuals receive the support that they may need. This includes the supervised consumption site, and downtown security as well as the business community.
Priority #3 – General public and outreach engagement
DOT also takes calls from the general public for individuals in need of assistance and actively works to increase awareness about the team. This includes regular patrols of key hotspots in our city, as well as making connections with individuals in these areas.