Improve community safety and well-being

Police recruitment

By implementing progressive recruitment strategies and increased process efficiencies, the Vancouver Police Department hired 30 new police officers in 2023, a 20% increase from the previous year, and finished the year with just 12 police vacancies.

Nurse Navigation Program

Launched a new Clark County 911 Nurse Navigation Program to provide Vancouver and the greater Clark County area with options for quickly reaching the appropriate level of medical care when calling 911 and helping to free up first responders to address true emergencies. An average of three to five people who call 911 are referred to the Nurse Navigation Program daily. Since implementation, 35% of those referred to the program have taken advantage of alternative care options, such as an urgent care visit or self-care at home.

Home fire prevention

Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office received a $207,000 federal grant for its Project Home Safe campaign to reduce the frequency and severity of residential fires in Vancouver through education and outreach.

Complete Streets

Continued work on Complete Streets project implementation to make busy corridors safer and more comfortable for all:

Completed the first phase of the S.E. 1^st Street corridor improvement. This project represents more than 20 years of planning and design and marks the first of many capital transportation projects that fully integrate the City’s Complete Streets design criteria. The second phase of S.E. 1^st Street will commence in 2024 and the entire corridor between 164^th Avenue and 192^nd Avenue will be completed in 2025.

• Completed community outreach and evaluation to understand how well the Columbia Street Project improvements are working and identify any opportunities for future improvement.
• Completed community outreach and selected a final design option for McGillivray Boulevard.
• Began community outreach and analysis for the 112th Avenue Project to inform potential design solutions to address safety and travel concerns.
• Kicked off planning for two new safety and mobility projects along Upper Main Street (from Fourth Plain Boulevard to the northern City limits) and St. Johns and St. James (from Fourth Plain Boulevard to N.E. 68^th Street).

Trails

Began design and planning for a new section of pedestrian trail on Evergreen Highway from S.E. Chelsea Avenue to S.E. Image Road. The wide pedestrian and small mobility path will improve safety for pedestrians and bikes, improve access to the nearby Weber Arboretum and the Columbia Springs Education Center and fill a one-mile-long gap in the existing pedestrian trail, connecting Evergreen Highway to the Discovery Historic Loop trail.

Safe Stay Communities

• Opened Safe Stay Community 3, 415 W. 11^th St., in Nov. and Safe Stay Community 4, 4611 Main St., in Dec.– doubling Vancouver’s temporary emergency shelter capacity and providing a safe, supportive path out of homelessness for up to 80 additional unsheltered community members. Both Safe Stays are managed and staffed 24/7 by nonprofit service providers.
• The City’s Safe Stay program served 241 community members previously living unsheltered, 80 of whom transitioned to permanent housing.
• Celebrated one year of successful operation of the City’s second Safe Stay Community in central Vancouver in April, providing a total of 53 community members with supportive services and safe shelter and transitioning 14 to housing in its first 12 months of operation. 

Safe Park

Served 205 community members living in vehicles at the City’s Safe Park Zone, a secure parking area with more than 50 parking spaces, portable restrooms, hand washing stations and trash services to support community health and cleanliness. A total of 54 Safe Park residents exited to stable housing.