Poverty Reduction Working Group of Nipissing
The SPC convenes the Poverty Reduction Working Group of Nipissing which brings together community leaders and organizations with a common vision of creating a community that is free from poverty. The PRWG originally formed in November 2007, as the Provincial Consultation Working Group. This group gathered quantitative and qualitative data related to poverty in Nipissing District and formed recommendations for Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy. Here is a link to a downloadable copy of Poverty Reduction in Nipissing District: Perspectives and Priorities (May 2008). The PRWG continues to work toward its vision and mission, and the SPC facilitates its doing so.
| PRWG Accomplishments and Activities |
| 2011 Poverty Fact Sheet |
Community Blueprint for Social and Economic Development
North Bay is one of four northern communities involved in the Social Planning Network of Ontario's (SPNO) Regional Hub Capacity-Building Project. This Trillium-funded project will allow the SPNO to assist social planning organizations in the north in the development of community blueprints for integrated social and economic development.
Economic development focuses on fostering and supporting the key factors that must come together for the production of goods and services that a community needs for a healthy economy and to sustain a decent standard of living for its members (i.e. capital, labour, tecnhology, public infrastructure, market opportunities.
Social development is a continuous process of advancing of society towards becoming more inclusive, equitable, and participatory so that not only can all community members receive essential supports as their conditions and circumstances require (i.e. quality education for children, income support for unemployed, healthcare for the sick and infirm) but they can also contribute actively with others to the vitality of community life.
The Regional Hub Project promotes integrated social and economic planning in each participating community (North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Parry Sound). This integrated approach is grounded in the conviction that social and economic development are interdependent and should be mutually reinforcing rather than conducted in silos. The process in each community to work toward integrated planning will involve researching economic and social conditions, performing multi-sector engagement, identifying opportunities for integrated planning, and developing a Community Blueprint for Social and Economic Development.
Economic development focuses on fostering and supporting the key factors that must come together for the production of goods and services that a community needs for a healthy economy and to sustain a decent standard of living for its members (i.e. capital, labour, tecnhology, public infrastructure, market opportunities.
Social development is a continuous process of advancing of society towards becoming more inclusive, equitable, and participatory so that not only can all community members receive essential supports as their conditions and circumstances require (i.e. quality education for children, income support for unemployed, healthcare for the sick and infirm) but they can also contribute actively with others to the vitality of community life.
The Regional Hub Project promotes integrated social and economic planning in each participating community (North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Parry Sound). This integrated approach is grounded in the conviction that social and economic development are interdependent and should be mutually reinforcing rather than conducted in silos. The process in each community to work toward integrated planning will involve researching economic and social conditions, performing multi-sector engagement, identifying opportunities for integrated planning, and developing a Community Blueprint for Social and Economic Development.
To learn more about this project, or find out how to get involved, please contact us at nbspc@northbayspc.com
or click the following link to view our Blueprint Brochure, which gives an overview of the project details:
or click the following link to view our Blueprint Brochure, which gives an overview of the project details:
| Blueprint Brochure: To Build a Strong, Dynamic and Sustainable Workforce |
Put Food in the Budget Campaign
The SPC continues to support the PRWG's participation in the Put Food in the Budget (PFIB) Campaign. This campaign, coordinated by Poverty Watch Ontario, promotes a $100/month Health Food Supplement for all adults receiving social assistance. You can do the math yourself, by taking this quick survey www.dothemath.org to see how local costs relate to the incomes of people receiving social assistance, or working full-time at minimum wage.
In July 2009, delegates of the PRWG met with Monique Smith MPP-Nipissing to complete the "Do the Math" survey, and discuss local food security and housing affordability issues faced by people on social assistance in Nipissing District, and the proposal of a $100/month Healthy Food Supplement.
Read our report from that meeting here:
In July 2009, delegates of the PRWG met with Monique Smith MPP-Nipissing to complete the "Do the Math" survey, and discuss local food security and housing affordability issues faced by people on social assistance in Nipissing District, and the proposal of a $100/month Healthy Food Supplement.
Read our report from that meeting here:
| Do the Math with Monique Smith MPP-Nipissing |
In October 2009, the PRWG and North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit staff were successful in getting the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Board of Health to endorse the Put Food in the Budget Campaign.
Read the resolution here:
Read the resolution here:
| NBPSDHU Board of Health Oct. 28, 2009 Resolution Endorsing Put Food in the Budget.pdf |
Social Audit 2010 - North Bay
Working in partnership with the Poverty Reduction Working Group of Nipissing, the SPC is participating in the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition's (ISARC) Social Audit. The ISARC Social Audit is a province-wide effort to evaluate the impacts of social policies on Ontario's most vulnerable individuals, people living in poverty. Through Hearings held in communities across the province, people experiencing poverty and frontline service providers are provided with a platform for openly discussing how social policies affect their personal and/or work lives. Of equal importance to discussing experiences and concerns, is the opprtunity to voice recommendations for policy changes. In North Bay, individuals were able to share their experiences and suggestions for change through five hearings held in March 2010. The information gathered in these hearings across the province help form the basis for ISARC's advocacy for legislative changes to improve social assistance and alleviate poverty.
Media coverage of the local Social Audit: Vicious Cycle Lacks Easy Solution
A report summarizing local findings of the Social Audit 2010 - North Bay will be available in the Fall of 2010.
ISARC's latest book, Persistent Poverty: Voices from the margins is now available for sale at: http://isarc.ca/FormOrderPersistentPoverty.html
Click here for more information on the ISARC Social Audit.
Media coverage of the local Social Audit: Vicious Cycle Lacks Easy Solution
A report summarizing local findings of the Social Audit 2010 - North Bay will be available in the Fall of 2010.
ISARC's latest book, Persistent Poverty: Voices from the margins is now available for sale at: http://isarc.ca/FormOrderPersistentPoverty.html
Click here for more information on the ISARC Social Audit.
Community Planning Activities
The SPC is a Member Agency of two planning intiatives led by the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board.
Nipissing District Homelessness Partnership
Mission: To facilitate communication among service agencies to prevent/eliminate homelessness.
Vision: All people in Nipissing District will have access to supports to retain housing.
Scope
The Nipissing District Homelessness Partnership:
Nipissing District Children's Services Planning Table
Mission Statement:
Community partners working together to provide children, youth and families in the District of Nipissing with easily accessible culturally diverse early learning opportunities and services that promote the optimal development of children.
Vision Statement:
Neighbourhoods where children, youth and families will have access to a range of integrated core and unique services delivered by community partners who work and plan together to support the early learning, health and well being of each child in the district.
Goal:
The goal of Nipissing District Children’s Service Planning Table supports the Best Start Initiative promise that all children, including those in the preschool years, will be helped to achieve their full potential. Preschool children's potential includes the attainment of sufficiently advanced levels of language, number and co-operation skills to succeed in grade 1. But it goes far beyond this to include the desire and ability to nurture all living things, an emerging awareness of their unique and shared cultural values, and a firm attachment to self transcending sources of value and security.
Mandate:
The Nipissing District Children’s Service Planning Table, working through the Community Membership, will plan, implement and monitor the complete set of services required to foster the attainment of the full potential of all children. This process will require movement toward the Collaboration level on the Service Integration Index, changes in existing services, and filling present service gaps. The Children’s Services Planning Table recognizes that Aboriginal children and their families must be provided with early educational experiences that reflect, incorporate and accommodate the cultural values, needs, traditions and aspirations of Aboriginal peoples.
Scope:
The focus of the support offered by the progressively more comprehensive and highly integrated system of services will be families with children. The scope of the services, embracing all dimensions of children's development, will range from protecting children from disease, neglect, injury and abuse, meeting their basic needs, fostering their recovery from illness and injury, teaching them basic needed skills, knowledge and attitudes, protecting and strengthening their cultural identity and empowering them to employ age and culturally appropriate strategies for attending to their own well being and continuing development.
Nipissing District Homelessness Partnership
Mission: To facilitate communication among service agencies to prevent/eliminate homelessness.
Vision: All people in Nipissing District will have access to supports to retain housing.
Scope
The Nipissing District Homelessness Partnership:
- Is concerned with households in the District of Nipissing who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless (will lose their accommodations within 30 days);
- Develops recommendations to member agencies on policies and strategies to support priorities established through the community planning process;
- Defines needs, services and gaps in services based on objective analysis of the best information available and develops strategies that use existing resources to address high priority needs and issues.
- The NDHP represents the voice of the community in defining the needs and issues related to homelessness in the District, and creating a shared vision of a service and support network that best addresses the needs and issues.
- The NDHP represents a forum where the voices of all community stakeholders in homelessness services can participate in developing and improving the service network.
Nipissing District Children's Services Planning Table
Mission Statement:
Community partners working together to provide children, youth and families in the District of Nipissing with easily accessible culturally diverse early learning opportunities and services that promote the optimal development of children.
Vision Statement:
Neighbourhoods where children, youth and families will have access to a range of integrated core and unique services delivered by community partners who work and plan together to support the early learning, health and well being of each child in the district.
Goal:
The goal of Nipissing District Children’s Service Planning Table supports the Best Start Initiative promise that all children, including those in the preschool years, will be helped to achieve their full potential. Preschool children's potential includes the attainment of sufficiently advanced levels of language, number and co-operation skills to succeed in grade 1. But it goes far beyond this to include the desire and ability to nurture all living things, an emerging awareness of their unique and shared cultural values, and a firm attachment to self transcending sources of value and security.
Mandate:
The Nipissing District Children’s Service Planning Table, working through the Community Membership, will plan, implement and monitor the complete set of services required to foster the attainment of the full potential of all children. This process will require movement toward the Collaboration level on the Service Integration Index, changes in existing services, and filling present service gaps. The Children’s Services Planning Table recognizes that Aboriginal children and their families must be provided with early educational experiences that reflect, incorporate and accommodate the cultural values, needs, traditions and aspirations of Aboriginal peoples.
Scope:
The focus of the support offered by the progressively more comprehensive and highly integrated system of services will be families with children. The scope of the services, embracing all dimensions of children's development, will range from protecting children from disease, neglect, injury and abuse, meeting their basic needs, fostering their recovery from illness and injury, teaching them basic needed skills, knowledge and attitudes, protecting and strengthening their cultural identity and empowering them to employ age and culturally appropriate strategies for attending to their own well being and continuing development.
