Toronto seems to have a very well developed strategy based on prosperity for all through partnerships between the business, labour and academic communities.
These strategies are:
1. The goverment must be an activist
2. Everyone has a place in the world
3. Must focus on creativity
4. "one-Toronto" : for everyone, by everyone
Toronto's strategy is to build strong partnerships that offer a key coordinated approach to eradicating homelessness. Another key strategy is the Housing First approach with a continum of supports.
Social justice and equality are also key to this strategy.
1. The role of the government is to ensure that everyone has a chance
2. The government developes partnerships with community agencies
3. Prevention
PAYE
The Partnership to Advance Youth Employment is a joint initiative between private sector employers and the City of Toronto to increase access to economic opportunities for youth.
http://www.torontopaye.ca/
(From Mayor David Millar's speach)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Day 2: Best Practices
Youth Video Project, Vancouver BC
http://stophomelessness.ca/
Through the 3 Ways to Home (Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee) youth in Vancouver participated in the development of the film project. The video aimed to target police, the business community and health care providers. It aids in breaking down stereotypes and educating community members. The video is offered as a free training tool and should be available on-line in December.
The Street Youth Planning Collaborative, Hamilton ON
http://www.thecouchproject.ca/faq.php
http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/Homelessness/Homelessness.php
The Street Youth Planning Collaborative is working off a piece of research done in 2005.
The city of Hamilton has brought together a collaboration of various stakeholder groups.
**The key words here are collaboration, transparency and partnership.
Youth Engagement:
- giving youth the space to participate, be heard and be involved
Service Providers
- meet once a month, in collaboration
- sharing ideas, best practices, reviewing documents trends
- one youth is invited to these monthly meetings
Planning Collaborative:
- 5 director from participating agencies with a mandate to serve homeless youth
What is important to note is that the research started a community conversation and they have all committed to filling the gaps through collaboration and transparency.
Transparency:
allows agencies to share resources, commit to a systems building within the community and avoid service duplication.
Challenges:
- time
- funding climate demands
- diverse agencies
- hearing and including the youth and front-line voices
**Youth Video Projects: the have a document that teaches how to do a youth based video project ($20)
Youth Engagement:
- to improve youth engagement adults and service providers need to be mindful of the way they present themselves to youth
- need to be accommodating to youth needs : bus fare, food, honorariums
- youth also want to feel and see that they are reflected in the space provides
Cultural barriers:
- not always a lot of cushioning between front-line and youth
- time: must have time to wait, as some relationships develop slowly – we must work at their rhythm
http://stophomelessness.ca/
Through the 3 Ways to Home (Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee) youth in Vancouver participated in the development of the film project. The video aimed to target police, the business community and health care providers. It aids in breaking down stereotypes and educating community members. The video is offered as a free training tool and should be available on-line in December.
The Street Youth Planning Collaborative, Hamilton ON
http://www.thecouchproject.ca/faq.php
http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/Homelessness/Homelessness.php
The Street Youth Planning Collaborative is working off a piece of research done in 2005.
The city of Hamilton has brought together a collaboration of various stakeholder groups.
**The key words here are collaboration, transparency and partnership.
Youth Engagement:
- giving youth the space to participate, be heard and be involved
Service Providers
- meet once a month, in collaboration
- sharing ideas, best practices, reviewing documents trends
- one youth is invited to these monthly meetings
Planning Collaborative:
- 5 director from participating agencies with a mandate to serve homeless youth
What is important to note is that the research started a community conversation and they have all committed to filling the gaps through collaboration and transparency.
Transparency:
allows agencies to share resources, commit to a systems building within the community and avoid service duplication.
Challenges:
- time
- funding climate demands
- diverse agencies
- hearing and including the youth and front-line voices
**Youth Video Projects: the have a document that teaches how to do a youth based video project ($20)
Youth Engagement:
- to improve youth engagement adults and service providers need to be mindful of the way they present themselves to youth
- need to be accommodating to youth needs : bus fare, food, honorariums
- youth also want to feel and see that they are reflected in the space provides
Cultural barriers:
- not always a lot of cushioning between front-line and youth
- time: must have time to wait, as some relationships develop slowly – we must work at their rhythm
Moncton Youth Residence
Transitional Housing
http://www.myrinc.com/services/yq.htm
Developmental Assets: building blocks for youth
Take their strategies working with youth from the Search Institute
http://www.search-institute.org/
Residents:
- After 3 months they have to go through a monthly re-application process
- Set goals and at discharge if the have attained all their goals they will receive half of the rent they paid. They have a 41% success rate.
- Must be involved in full time education, employment or volunteer work and have stable mental health
- Abstinence based
http://www.myrinc.com/services/yq.htm
Developmental Assets: building blocks for youth
Take their strategies working with youth from the Search Institute
http://www.search-institute.org/
Residents:
- After 3 months they have to go through a monthly re-application process
- Set goals and at discharge if the have attained all their goals they will receive half of the rent they paid. They have a 41% success rate.
- Must be involved in full time education, employment or volunteer work and have stable mental health
- Abstinence based
Train for Trades
http://www.choicesforyouth.ca/TFT/index.php
- Based on Eva’s Phoenix
(http://www.evasinitiatives.com/e-phoenix.php)
- Building a 14 unit supportive housing complex: the graduates of the program will have 1st choice
- Intensive support model: “their most understanding employer!”
- Give bus passes for the 1st 3 month, then after that they are expected to take responsibility for their own transportation
- Have a tradesman that will sign off on their hours so that they may have a head start at becoming a journeyman
- Based on Eva’s Phoenix
(http://www.evasinitiatives.com/e-phoenix.php)
- Building a 14 unit supportive housing complex: the graduates of the program will have 1st choice
- Intensive support model: “their most understanding employer!”
- Give bus passes for the 1st 3 month, then after that they are expected to take responsibility for their own transportation
- Have a tradesman that will sign off on their hours so that they may have a head start at becoming a journeyman
A National Strategy to Solve Youth Homelessness
(The consultation paper is available in French)
The paper was presented and group discussions of the draft were held. The final document should be released in February 2009. Comments are to be incorporated into the final strategy document.
Some limitations of the document:
- not culturally inclusive
- rural communities were excluded
- not an action document
- lacking definitions
- in the Strategy Checklist: Family breakdown is not inclusive enough, such that many youth cannot stay in their family home. It must include a broader support network piece
- strategies and best practices are not defined
The paper was presented and group discussions of the draft were held. The final document should be released in February 2009. Comments are to be incorporated into the final strategy document.
Some limitations of the document:
- not culturally inclusive
- rural communities were excluded
- not an action document
- lacking definitions
- in the Strategy Checklist: Family breakdown is not inclusive enough, such that many youth cannot stay in their family home. It must include a broader support network piece
- strategies and best practices are not defined
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Site visit to Sketch: http://sketch.ca/ Art making is a curious way to address homelessness or poverty - growing issues in Canada, one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
Art making offers expression, self discovery and skill building. It facilitates participation in community life and in the making of culture.
Sketch creates art making opportunities for young people who live street-involved and homeless or who are considered to be at risk.
Art making offers expression, self discovery and skill building. It facilitates participation in community life and in the making of culture.
Sketch creates art making opportunities for young people who live street-involved and homeless or who are considered to be at risk.
Awesome visit, awesome organization. Intersting workshop. Looking forward to reproducing some of the activities au cirque!
Agency Panel
Principals that work
Housing first approach- stable, decent and safe- using a wraparound approach to service delivery
Case Management- accompagnement: leads to successful interventions
Creativity- youth engaging and creating in their own success
Community based programs- early intervention and prevention
Learning Community
- Staff exchange program allows organizations to share knowledge.
- We must “go grocery shopping” around the country and learn from other organization, take that knowledge and mold it to better fit your community.
- What it takes to work with youth across the board is very similar. We operate with similar philosophies because we work with what works.
- We must inspire a national conversation between agencies.
Arts education
- Art is a necessity.
- Developing programs in a linear fashion, creating programming around the needs of clients.
- Youth participation in program development is successful.
Youth Engagement
- We must work “with” youth in a duel partnership.
- Please see Dr. Hunts Latter of Engagement
Partnerships
- It is important to de-mystify street-kids to corporations in order to develop funding partnerships.
- Canadian colleges are looking to work with marginalized population; it would be an interesting partnership to develop.
- Developing sustainable funding partnerships with foundations, which can be more stable that government funding.
- diversify funding with the corporate and volunteer sectors
Corporate Responsibility
The sense that corporations have a social responsibility is a really interesting aspect that is worth exploring. The sense that corporate investments and corporate giving can really make a huge social and environmental impact on communities and organizations working in communities.
Housing first approach- stable, decent and safe- using a wraparound approach to service delivery
Case Management- accompagnement: leads to successful interventions
Creativity- youth engaging and creating in their own success
Community based programs- early intervention and prevention
Learning Community
- Staff exchange program allows organizations to share knowledge.
- We must “go grocery shopping” around the country and learn from other organization, take that knowledge and mold it to better fit your community.
- What it takes to work with youth across the board is very similar. We operate with similar philosophies because we work with what works.
- We must inspire a national conversation between agencies.
Arts education
- Art is a necessity.
- Developing programs in a linear fashion, creating programming around the needs of clients.
- Youth participation in program development is successful.
Youth Engagement
- We must work “with” youth in a duel partnership.
- Please see Dr. Hunts Latter of Engagement
Partnerships
- It is important to de-mystify street-kids to corporations in order to develop funding partnerships.
- Canadian colleges are looking to work with marginalized population; it would be an interesting partnership to develop.
- Developing sustainable funding partnerships with foundations, which can be more stable that government funding.
- diversify funding with the corporate and volunteer sectors
Corporate Responsibility
The sense that corporations have a social responsibility is a really interesting aspect that is worth exploring. The sense that corporate investments and corporate giving can really make a huge social and environmental impact on communities and organizations working in communities.
Youth Panel: Insights into successful supports and services and where the gaps lie.
- Programs should be developed with a broader mandate (i.e. unemployed and out of school) that would include youth in order to better meet their needs.
- Leaving care (CAS, CJ’s) often translates into a loss of resources that should be addressed.
- “A foundation to independence”: youth need to be able to make their own choices at their own rhythm and not having workers telling them what they should or shouldn’t be doing.
- Stability is key.
- Parent counseling and family services are effective.
- There needs to be more of a focus on developing self-motivation.
- There is a lack of programming and resources in emergency shelters. It is important that youth can access many services at once, the sense of one-stop shopping. This can be achieved by both geographic location and partnerships with different agencies in order to offer youth the best and specialized services.
- Funding is the key to offer better follow-up and continued support which translates into youth having more options.
- Youth need to feel that they are valued, heard and taken seriously as was found through a video project by SIDA/AIDS
(http://www.sida-aidsmoncton.com/iwhtm.php)
- Leaving care (CAS, CJ’s) often translates into a loss of resources that should be addressed.
- “A foundation to independence”: youth need to be able to make their own choices at their own rhythm and not having workers telling them what they should or shouldn’t be doing.
- Stability is key.
- Parent counseling and family services are effective.
- There needs to be more of a focus on developing self-motivation.
- There is a lack of programming and resources in emergency shelters. It is important that youth can access many services at once, the sense of one-stop shopping. This can be achieved by both geographic location and partnerships with different agencies in order to offer youth the best and specialized services.
- Funding is the key to offer better follow-up and continued support which translates into youth having more options.
- Youth need to feel that they are valued, heard and taken seriously as was found through a video project by SIDA/AIDS
(http://www.sida-aidsmoncton.com/iwhtm.php)
Human Rights Solutions to Homelessness:
Keynote speaker Miloon Kothari: former Special Reporter on Adequate Housing for the United Nations Human Rights Council
Kothari offered various solutions that will be outlined in more detail this January/February in an advanced version released on http://www.ohchr.org/
1. More legal recognition to the right to adequate housing
2. Comprehensive and coordinated national housing policy
3. A national strategy timeline that has realistic goals
4. More social housing programs
5. Implementing anti-discriminatory legislation
6. Rise in social assistance payments
7. Collaboration and coordination at all levels of government
8. A national strategy of affordable housing that is permanent and sustainable with adequate funding
9. Large scale building of affordable housing
10. An official, national definition of homelessness that leads to a coordinated national strategy
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A National Conference
Bienvenue!
Raising the Roof (http://raisingtheroof.org/) is hosting, in partnership with a Conference Steering Committee that represents youth and youth serving agencies across Canada. This conference aims to bring together people who have a stake in youth homelessness.
The conference goals:
1. To help identify how youth, agencies, researchers, corporations and others can work together to address the issue of youth homelessness
2. To bring diverse stakeholders together to exchange knowledge and develop plans for collective action
3. To gather input into and endorsement of a National Strategy to Solve Youth Homelessness
On behalf of En Marge 12-17 (http://enmarge1217.ca/) I had the opportunity to come to the conference in order to learn, teach and participate. I hope to bring back and share knowledge, best practices and solutions to our organization and to our community.
This blog will act as a tool for you, chers colleagues. Being sent to a conference should translate in bringing back the knowledge and shaing it with co-workers and the organization. However, it is not always the case, considering there is not always time for a mini-conference post conference workshop.
Je vais vous informer avec ce BLOG, pour que vous puissiez lire et apprendre tous que j’ai appris dans vos moments disponibles.
à la prochaine!
Raising the Roof (http://raisingtheroof.org/) is hosting, in partnership with a Conference Steering Committee that represents youth and youth serving agencies across Canada. This conference aims to bring together people who have a stake in youth homelessness.
The conference goals:
1. To help identify how youth, agencies, researchers, corporations and others can work together to address the issue of youth homelessness
2. To bring diverse stakeholders together to exchange knowledge and develop plans for collective action
3. To gather input into and endorsement of a National Strategy to Solve Youth Homelessness
On behalf of En Marge 12-17 (http://enmarge1217.ca/) I had the opportunity to come to the conference in order to learn, teach and participate. I hope to bring back and share knowledge, best practices and solutions to our organization and to our community.
This blog will act as a tool for you, chers colleagues. Being sent to a conference should translate in bringing back the knowledge and shaing it with co-workers and the organization. However, it is not always the case, considering there is not always time for a mini-conference post conference workshop.
Je vais vous informer avec ce BLOG, pour que vous puissiez lire et apprendre tous que j’ai appris dans vos moments disponibles.
à la prochaine!
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