Reframing street disorder as a system-level challenge: Insights on cross-sector collaboration, governance design, and conditions for impact

Abstract

Street disorder has emerged as one of the most visible manifestations of the interconnectedness of human, justice, and health
systems within Canada. Through our insights from policymakers in client workshops and discussions in 2024–2026, the
term “street disorder” is increasingly used as an operational term to frame highly visible behaviours that are accelerated by
the interlocking challenges across health, housing, justice, social, and community supports. These high-impact behaviours
have been exacerbated by the system challenges around fragmented governance, siloed services, and misaligned justice,
health, and housing responses. This article draws on dialogues that Deloitte Canada has been having across multigovernment
stakeholders across provinces and municipalities as well as learnings from global jurisdictions. It also highlights
international case studies, notably the Changing Futures program in England and Wales, to argue that effective responses
to street disorder depend less on isolated expansion of initiatives and more on system design, cross-sector coordination,
and targeted interventions focused on a relatively small cohort of high-impact cases. The article identifies the conditions
under which cross-sector partnerships have the potential to deliver sustained reductions in disorder while improving
outcomes for individuals and communities alike.

This article draws on dialogues that Deloitte Canada has been having across multigovernment stakeholders across provinces and municipalities as well as learnings from global jurisdictions. It also highlights international case studies, notably the Changing Futures program in England and Wales, to argue that effective responses to street disorder depend less on isolated expansion of initiatives and more on system design, cross-sector coordination, and targeted interventions focused on a relatively small cohort of high impact cases. The article identifies the conditions under which cross-sector partnerships have the potential to deliver sustained reductions in disorder while improving outcomes for individuals and communities alike.