Social Development Centre participated in the Kitchener’s Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee in 2020, and is identified as a partner organization to support the implementation of the Housing Strategy. In 2021, we collaborated on the development of the approach and recruitment strategies with the city of Kitchener and now we are ready to launch a pilot project to establish a Lived Expertise Working Group that will work closely with the city staff from different departments responsible for implementation of the actions within Housing for All.
We are recruiting a Lived Expertise Working Group Facilitator for the period January 2022 to June 2023, working 30 hours per week for $24/hour. The facilitation is needed to support the creation of authentic and ethical “third spaces” (as opposed to token spaces) so that community members from underserved and underrepresented groups can contribute within municipal processes. The facilitator will also support the community representatives in learning and networking opportunities to address systemic housing issues and challenges that affect their communities.
Can you believe it! Festival of neighbourhoods is sailing through another challenging and fascination year. Challenge and opportunity are truly two sides of the same coin. Come and share with us: "How is COVID changing us?" and come to learn about our joint project COVID Safe Gathering Spaces. Visit 
A Better Tent City is a "giant leap" for unsheltered Homeless in Waterloo Region. It started as a community led initiative in April 2020, and is now an incorporated non for profit. Reasons to continue supporting 
Extreme resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, loss, death, exclusion due to disability, poverty and health challenges - this is what we need to remember on the commemoration of the World Homelessness Day. There is a strong correlation between mental health issues and homelessness. We cannot tell which came first, but once both factors are present they form a vicious cycle which makes interventions/supports challenging and complex, usually violent and criminalizing in itself.
Are you interested in volunteering or donating to our 
The Social Development Centre Waterloo Region is providing June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and September 30th, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as holidays with pay for staff. The Board voted for this unanimously, for three reasons:
