A small group of addicts and people with mental-health issues in Winnipeg consume hundreds of thousands of dollars in public services each year — but targetted intervention could reduce that cost, according to a city report.

The city's committee on protection and community services received a report on Monday concerning Project Breakaway, an attempt to address the recurring use of police and other public services by people with mental health and addiction issues.

Twenty-six people tracked by the program generated more than $700,000 worth of calls for service in a five-month period, according to the report, including:

• 570 calls under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act, at an estimated cost of $150 per call in police time, plus hospital or paramedic service.
• 447 calls for service such as disturbances or medical emergencies.
• 49 arrests.

One person's cost for 186 visits to hospital amounted to at least $119,000 in a one-year period, plus $45,000 for 156 ambulance transfers, according to the report.

Through Project Breakaway, two police officers and a social worker tried to ensure the group of chronic service users were in touch with support services that could help them deal in a more sustainable way with their addiction or mental-health problems.

The follow-up program reduced their contact with the system by nearly 90 per cent, according to the report.

Police Chief Keith McCaskill estimated the program, if expanded, could help as many as 300 people, potentially saving the public millions of dollars in emergency services.

"We're focusing on this whole thing as trying to get people help, trying to get them off the street, to be able to improve their lives. In so doing, it also improves our ability to do other things, whether it's policing, whether it's fire, whatever," McCaskill said.

"There's no doubt about it, because of the situations that some of these people find themselves in, it's draining resources which we could be using for other things."

The committee voted to ask the province to provide both funding and other resources to Project Breakaway, so it can be expanded to reach more people.

The committee did not attach a dollar amount to its request.