For the first time Delta has an accurate snapshot of itself for social planning purposes.
Gillian McLeod, hired last year to be the municipality's first social planner, and Sean McGill, director of human resources and corporate planning, made a presentation to Delta council recently to outline A Social Profile of Delta in 2017.
As far as what social planning means for Delta, McGill said it's a process that helps identify a community's strengths and weaknesses.
The profile is a comprehensive document outlining Delta's demographics, available services and groups, as well as issues that need to be addressed, including service overlaps and gaps, in addition to where Delta can work with agencies to achieve more optimal results.
"We view the profile as a living document, a document to be continually updated by staff to ensure it accurately reflects the needs of the community and those providing services to people in it," said McGill. "We will discover over the course of the next few weeks additional services and programs that are out there and available, as well as additional needs in the community, and we'll continually update the profile to match that."
McLeod went over the categories within the profile, including "Health and Community," which is the largest.
"One of the number of things I've found across all of this work was a lack of knowledge among the public and sometimes the agencies themselves as to who exists, who's out there and how can we better publicize what is offered," she said.
Some of the areas found wanting include a lack of substance abuse day treatment or residential programs for youth as well as few services for seniors with addiction issues. There's also no universal daycare strategy to support those living here on limited incomes, although Delta CAO George Harvie would note that's one area where Delta might be able to do something with developers.
Some of the other findings in the profile include a lack of emergency and short-term housing, many seniors living in social isolation and a need for programs for vulnerable youth.
The category of "Personal and Public Safety" is one area where Delta shines, said McLeod.
It was noted that Delta should not take on roles and responsibilities that belong to other agencies or governments, although the municipality can play a role by advocating, applying for funding and having a close relationship with the various stakeholders to help them fulfill their services and support mandate.
