V OLUME 23, N O . 1
Y OUTH
HOMELESSNESS IN
F ALL 2007
H AMILTON
B Y : J ENNIE V ENGRIS , S OCIAL PLANNER
S OCIAL
PLANNING
For more information please visit the website – On September 12, 2007 www.thecouchproject.ca or the Social Planning and “Our website, call The Couch Project Research Council of information line at (905) thecouchproject.ca Hamilton, in partnership provides the necessary 522.1148 ext. 323. This with the Street Youth tools to anyone who feels project is part of the Planning Collaborative they may know youth at Addressing the Needs of (SYPC) launched a multi- risk of homelessness,” Street-Involved and faced social marketing Homeless Youth in explains Alan Craig, campaign. The Couch Hamilton initiative - for Chair of the SYPC and Project aims to educate Executive Director of the more information, please people in the community Living Rock Ministries, contact Jennie Vengris at about how to help young “We hope they use this (905) 522.1148 ext. 303 or people who might be at jvengris@sprc.hamilton.on. tool to help start risk of homelessness. ca. conversations and connect youth with Thanks to The Government of resources in our With the understanding Canada—Public Safety, The community”. that often the first place a Hamilton Community Foundation, young person will go and The Hamilton Spectator for making this project a reality. when they leave home is The launch was well Special thanks to community a friend’s couch – the attended with over 60 partners. project has a centralized community partners and
Everyone has a part in reducing youth homelessness in Hamilton
website that provides advice for talking to young people about homelessness and resources to suggest to them. A broad media campaign with television and radio public service announcements, newspaper advertising and posters is in full swing, promoting access to the website.
young people. A spot on the CHCH evening news, interviews on Oldies 1150 and CHML 900 radio shows and front page coverage in the Hamilton Spectator all bolstered the effort of making sure this campaign is in the public arena.
& R ESEARCH C OUNCIL
OF
H AMILTON 162 King William Street Suite 103 Hamilton, ON L8R 3N9 Phone: 905.522.1148 Fax: 905.522.9124 sprc@sprc.hamilton.on.ca http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca
I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :
T HE C OUCH P ROJECT A BORIGINAL H OMELESSNESS U NITED W AY C AMPAIGN R IVERDALE P LAYGROUND S TAFF CH ANGES Y OUTH D ROP -I N B OARD U PDATE 1
2,4 2 3
4 3,4 4
P AGE 2
C OMMUNITY N EWSLETTER
6 TH ANNUAL FEASTING FOR THE UNITED WAY
In support of the 2007 United Way campaign, SPRC is hosting its 6th Annual Feasting for the United Way. Tickets are $45 per person, which includes great food, complimentary beverage, music, silent auction, a $30 tax receipt for each ticket and a special door prize! Let Deirdre Pike (dpike@sprc.hamilton.on.ca) know how many tickets you need by November 9th.
The Royal Hamilton Yacht Club Foot of MacNab Street North, Hamilton November 23rd, 2007 at 7pm—10pm
get into it!
A BORIGINAL C OMMUNITY S ETS H OMELESSNESS P RIORITIES
B Y : C INDY S UE M C C ORMACK , S OCIAL P LANNER
It is well known that Aboriginal people are disproportionately over-represented over a range of social well-being indicators: poverty rates, unemployment rates, attendance of postsecondary education, determinants of health, life expectancy, involvement with the correctional system, involvement with the child welfare system, and addictions. This over-representation is often double and up to three times higher than the general population.
having an increased and larger impact on produced in each community as a the Aboriginal community. result of the funding decisions the community made through the National Homelessness Initiative (NHI). The underlying cause of this overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the social well-being indicators listed above can be attributed to a long history of The Hamilton Executive Directors’ unjust policy and structural trends in Aboriginal Coalition (HEDAC) and the Canada. Social Planning Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC) have recently completed the “Community Plan It has been well established that policy Assessment & Update.” decisions in the Indian Act and the related outcomes including residential schools, the loss of language, loss of land, and a loss of the matriarchal system The following priorities were decided on by HEDAC. (to name just a few) have resulted in overwhelming trauma to the Aboriginal (1) Negotiate the 1:5 rule with the population as a whole. Community Advisory Board.
(2) Ensure that the Koo Ga Da Win These trends and related outcomes are Aboriginal Seniors residence, TRADITIONAL also contributing factors to a higher urban begun under SCPI, is sustainable A BORIGINAL Aboriginal homeless population (ie. and viable over the long term. Population at risk of homelessness, CULTURE This may require additional hidden homelessness, population living AND funding, outreach, and supports. on the street, chronically living on the HISTORY ...” street, sheltered population etc). The (3) To explore the development of, need for planning and the development of and implement if possible, a 6-10 implementation strategies can be bed Aboriginal Men’s Transitional paramount in addressing effective Housing residence. homelessness responses. Trends such as a higher (4) To continue to deliver the proportion of households in core emergency food outreach housing need, increased numbers The federal “Homelessness Partnership program and life skill of people on waiting lists for social Initiative (HPI)” is a two year program housing and higher numbers of programming at the Hamilton people living below the LICO (Low (April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2009) which (Continued on page 4) requires an analysis of the changes Income Cut Off) are therefore 162 King William Street, Suite 103 · Hamilton, ON L8R 3N9 · Phone: 905.522.1148 · Fax: 905.522.9124 · Email: sprc@sprc.hamilton.on.ca
“... PROMOTE
V OLUME 23, N O . 1
P AGE 3
P LAYGROUND T O B UILD I N A D AY
B Y : S ANDY S HAW , S ENIOR S OCIAL P LANNER
Riverdale Community Children to Inspire New KaBOOM! Playground at Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre
Volunteers from the community, the Home Depot Canada, the Social Planning and Research Council, Volunteer Hamilton, the City of Hamilton, and Lake Avenue School will construct a new playground in one day on November 8th. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in North America. The Riverdale neighbourhood is the location of both Lake Avenue Elementary School and the Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre. This community is home to over 7,000 residents with almost 85% living in rented high-rises. Green space is at a premium, and there is no playground equipment of any kind. Many families in this vibrant neighbourhood are newly arrived
Canadians and they strive hard every day to start their new lives, earn a living and provide the best possible start in life for their young families. Unfortunately, over half of these families are living in poverty and many children do not have access to the Current playground, Photos courtesy of Sandy Shaw, Senior Social Planner recreational opportunities that WHEN: they deserve. Thursday, November 8th 2007 8:00 am – 2:30 pm. The new playground will provide a safe outdoor play area for local We are looking for community children and their families, while volunteers to help on build day, provide also promoting active lifestyles within the community. In addition tools or to sponsor food for our over 200 hundred Volunteers. If you are to providing approximately $50,000 for the project, more than interested in being a part of this exciting project CONTACT: Sandy Shaw, 905 150 associates from local The Home Depot stores will volunteer 522.1148 Ext. 310 their time to help build the brightly-coloured playground. WHERE: Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre 150 Violet Drive, Hamilton
In partnership with KaBOOM!, Volunteer Hamilton and The City of Hamilton. Thanks to The Home Depot Canada .
“C HILL H ILL ” D ROP -I N C ENTRE F OR T EENS
( EXCERPT
Rap music blares out of a ground floor unit of a Quigley Road apartment complex. Inside, a crowd of youths lounge in the living room, their voices barely audible over the beats. In this east Hamilton area, where violence and gangs are a problem, "Chill Hill" youth drop-in is opening its doors to give kids 13 to 18 an alternative to hanging out on the street.
TAKEN FROM
T HE H AMILTON S PECTATOR )
The youngsters helped plan the centre, located in the unit next door to the Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) family centre, which will operate it. It's already open for kids to drop in and hang out. It's a community effort. Businesses, politicians and countless volunteers have pitched in to make United Way funding stretch as far as possible.
The Ontario Building and Construction Trades Council took down a wall so the youth centre is connected to the family programs. Individuals have donated entertainment equipment, McMaster (University) donated computers and furnishings for an upstairs study room. Absolute Flooring Concepts installed hardwood flooring. Joey Winkler, 14, got up at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday to head down to Chill Hill and
(Continued on page 4)
162 King William Street, Suite 103 · Hamilton, ON L8R 3N9 · Phone: 905.522.1148 · Fax: 905.522.9124 · Email: sprc@sprc.hamilton.on.ca
P AGE 4
C OMMUNITY N EWSLETTER
A BORIGINAL H OMELESSNESS P RIORITIES ( CONTINUED )
(Continued from page 2)
information about Aboriginal homelessness. (8) To invest in staff resources that will be responsible for assisting agencies and HEDAC in homelessness planning, program development and delivery, and program evaluation. (9) To increase the amount of funding available to address Aboriginal homelessness. (10) To increase the number of collaborative partnerships between Aboriginal agencies and mainstream agencies
Regional Indian Centre (focused on youth) (5) To continue to deliver emergency food outreach and life skill programming at the Native Women’s Centre (focus on women & families) (6) To expand traditional healing programs, emergency medicine programs, and delivery a strategy to help people with concurrent disorders. (7) Work with mainstream shelters and the City to obtain reliable
Please check the SPRC website (www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca) for both of these reports.
This article is adapted from the Aboriginal Community Plan Update 2007
“C HILL H ILL ”
(Continued from page 3)
( CONTINUED )
"This is a great message to the kids. They know the community cares." each day and move on, said the kids sitting below it. Baldwin agrees with his friends that this place is going to help them stay out of trouble.
help out. Ikea Burlington was showing up with $2,600 worth of furnishings for the centre. A few hours later, Winkler He said Chill Hill gives them agrees that it looks great. The unit, somewhere to go that's safe and which had been vacant since at least will keep them out of trouble. 2004, was pretty ugly before. "I didn't have a lot of hope for it but it turned out great," said Winkler, who came to meetings about the centre with his friends to provide adults with expertise and advice. Winkler and his friends, who live in the building, usually hang out on the front stairs, which puts them in the bad books with security. Dillon Baldwin, 16, came along to meetings about the centre with his friends. He chose the name and a quote emblazoned on the lounge wall above the sofa that reads: "Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now." It reminds you not to worry, to make the best of
Credits to The Hamilton Spectator, IKEA Burlington, McMaster University, The Ontario Building and Construction Trades Council and The United Way
S TAFF C HANGES
Christina Fiora, a 4th-year McMaster Labour Studies student complete a student placement for a period of a year working with Deirdre Pike on the Living Wage Campaign.
B OARD U PDATE
We would like to welcome Dale Brown as the newest Board member of the SPRC. Dale brings much knowledge about social issues with great interest in increasing community engagement. We look forward to having Dale on the SPRC Board of Directors. Welcome Dale!
Published by: The Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton
Christina Walters has been newly positioned into the role of Executive Assistant at the SPRC.
Editor: Christina Walters “Thank you to all who contributed.”
162 King William Street, Suite 103 · Hamilton, ON L8R 3N9 · Phone: 905.522.1148 · Fax: 905.522.9124 · Email: sprc@sprc.hamilton.on.ca