News for October, 2007

Activists Put Poverty Reduction on Provincial Election Agendas

Canada

Most observers predict another easy win for Newfoundland and Labrador Conservative Premier Danny Williams on October 9. Williams already holds a solid majority, with 34 out of 48 seats. The Liberals have 11, the New Democrats one and there are two vacant seats.

Both Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have set ambitious poverty reduction strategies—and activists in Ontario are hoping their own provincial candidates commit to a 25 per cent reduction in poverty in 5 years before the October 10 election.

Williams lists his Poverty Reduction Strategy on his party’s website as having “earned the praise of anti-poverty leaders” as a model for others to follow.

As the Executive Director of Stella Burry Community Services, Jocelyn Greene, who is a board member and Past President of Raising the Roof, is widely acknowledged as a leader in the development of programs and services for marginalized people. Under her direction, Stella Burry has become the leading developer of supportive housing in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Greene told Housing Again that the current government’s commitment to a poverty reduction strategy has made her and other activists optimistic that a new provincial government will get more affordable housing built in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“There are many good promises being made during this election—more childcare spaces, raising the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2010, expanding Employment Insurance for parents, a 10 per cent increase in the poverty reduction budget, and low-income energy rebates—all of which results in investments in people,” she said.

Shortly before she spoke with Housing Again, Greene had met with the current housing minister. Although her meeting did not result in hoped-for promises of multi-year funding agreements for affordable housing developers or a commitment of more cash to build social housing (the ministry received twice as many applications to build affordable housing than it could approve), Greene still felt hopeful.

“The minister promised to move the housing agenda along.”

The Progressive Conservative’s promises for a second term include commitments to:

· Develop and implement a Progressive Family Growth Policy to promote higher birth rates and population expansion by providing $1,000 for each child born or adopted in Newfoundland and Labrador, at a cost of $4.5 million;
· Add to the Employment Insurance parental leave supplements for the mothers and fathers of young children by $100 a month, at a cost of $5.4 million;
· Implement a 10-year early learning and childcare strategy, which will include increasing the number of child care spaces by 30 per cent and the number of low-income subsidies by 30 per cent in the next four years, the provincial share of which will cost $5 million;
· Develop a comprehensive strategy to encourage youth to stay in the province;
· Continue to work to change Newfoundland and Labrador, over the ten-year period that began in 2004, from the jurisdiction with the highest poverty rates to one with the lowest poverty rates in Canada;
· Increase the current poverty reduction budget of $92 million by at least 10 per cent;
· Release a guide to poverty reduction services for individuals and families;
· Undertake a measurement of poverty midway through the term to determine the extent to which the poverty reduction initiatives are working;
· Evaluate demographic trends to determine the relative need for appropriate-size public housing units that better accommodate smaller families, and ensure future construction and retrofitting projects are adjusted to reflect demographic realities;
· Continue to provide rent supplements for low income persons, including seniors, residing in Newfoundland Labrador Housing.

2007 Innovation Award Finalist Dianova Canada

Canada

In the second year of Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation, sponsored by CIBC, three winners were recognized for outstanding and unique work with homeless youth. Each winning organization received a prize of $5,000. Eva’s Initiatives also selected another five as finalists, including a unique service based in Montreal that is dedicated to helping substance abusers through residential treatment.A not-for-profit organization, Dianova Canada is governed by a board of directors consisting of individuals engaged in the management of community service organizations in Canada. Certified by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, Dianova helps people cope with many social challenges, such as poverty, a lack of education, violence and addictions. Dianova and the federal government recently entered into a partnership designed to take young, at-risk adults off the streets of the major eastern Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. The Dianova Urban Breakaway Program falls under the federal government’s Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund. The program brings together the federal government and the community non-profit sector in a partnership that enhances the work of reputable, well-established organizations specializing in social services, education, homelessness and addictions issues. The Breakaway program is designed specifically to help the participants raise their “potential autonomy.” This initiative makes it possible for individuals from a variety of programs to participate in a six-day residential stay at Dianova Canada’s countryside centre in Quebec. This intensive stay gives participants a chance to reflect on the possibility for positive life change. The program incorporates opportunities for healthy recreational and educational activities in a safe, drug and alcohol free, stress free and friendly atmosphere. In addition, the program offers educational workshops run by trained facilitators, such as a licensed nutritionist and certified therapeutic counsellors.While the programs are based on a common community framework, program objectives for the rehabilitation process are individualized.The residential treatment programs prioritize the individual’s needs with programs of variable duration for which specific objectives are established. In practice, the duration of the residential phase of treatment usually ranges from four to twelve months, depending on the resident’s expectations and needs. Programs include workshops and training activities, social reintegration services, individual counselling, peer support and stress management workshops. Different activities and responsibilities are established in the residential community in order to help residents gain “self-reliance and responsibility for one’s personal plan of change.”For more information about treatment locations in Montreal and Toronto, call toll free at 1-800-461-8350.

Eva’s Launches Third Year of Innovation Award

Toronto, ON

Eva’s Initiative’s has recently launched the third year of its award program. The Award for Innovation will be granted to three organizations that:
· Demonstrate innovation in delivering services to homeless youth;
· Successfully use partnerships to develop, implement or operate services;
· Deliver services that help youth who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to achieve greater self-sufficiency and reduce their chances of experiencing homelessness in the future;
· Offer services that integrate two or more of the following: housing, education, vocational training, employment, health and addictions supports, life skills, or other interventions aimed at assisting homeless and at-risk youth to become self-sufficient.

Homeless Children Slipping Through Cracks of Education System

Toronto, ON

The Toronto Star recently reported on a groundbreaking new study on the state of homeless children in the education system, which was released by the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto and Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre. Written by Anne Decter, Lost in the Shuffle shows how thousands of homeless children each year are needlessly slipping through the cracks of the education system—and how to prevent this from happening.

Awards of Innovation