We will be closing Social Development Centre, Civic Hub and postponing tax clinics until until further notice as a precautionary measure, for our staff, volunteers and community members. We hope to resume scheduling of the meetings as soon as it becomes possible. For the time being, email us at info@waterlooregion.org or leave a messate at the tax clinic extension at 519-579-3800.
Since November 2019, a number of lived experience groups and community members concerned about the housing crisis and homelessness in the region, have been gathering weekly to learn, share information, tell stories and take on small steps and meaningful actions towards solutions. Through collective storytelling, they have created a set of recommendations, an info sheet, content for a radio show, and Forum Theater sessions to support each other as we unpack hurt and trauma of being precariously housed and absent in mainstream decision making to address the humanitarian crisis in the region as a consequence of prolonged insecurity of income, housing, (mental) health and addictions care. Please read the recommendations shared with all affordable housing strategy teams in the region and subscribe to the ‘Homes 4 All’ podcast/radio show at CKMS Radio Waterloo 102.7. There are meaningful grassroots solutions, and we all have a role to play. Tell us what you can do.
High speed Grassroots Connection to tech sector in Waterloo Region. What would that look like? Join us as we explore technology sector in support of social justice work in the community on April 7th, during our Annual General Meeting, 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the Civic Hub. If you are in environment, arts, peace, culture, spirituality, housing, democratic reform work, we hope you get connected to our work and become a member, or you decide to impact our strategy by joining the Board. Find all about our work in 2019 in the Activity Report and let's connect soon!
We will be hosting free income tax clinics starting March 2nd and running to April 30, 2020. We are offering bookable appointments and drop-off services. Our hours will be Monday and Wednesday 10 am - 8 pm and Tues and Thurs 9 am - 5 pm. Call or email to schedule a time: 519-579-3800 or tax-clinic@waterlooregion.org. To ensure that your return is completed accurately, please prepare all of the necessary documents as it applies to your situation from the tax clinic check list. Please note that if you are not receiving Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP), we can assist you in applying for it, even if not all the household members have filed taxes.
The objective of the Ontario Job Creation Program is to support Partnership projects that provide participants with opportunities to gain meaningful work experience, which will improve their long-term employment prospects. Qualified individuals with a university degree or relevant experience, currently on Employment Insurance or having been on Employment Insurance in the last three years, are invited to apply for the positions Urban/Social Planning Research Assistant and GIS Mapping/Web Developer.
The Multicultural Connection continues to offer networking and supports among ethnocultural groups in Waterloo Region. With guests from Cambridge, the Portuguese Club and the Islamic Centre, the Arab Women and Afghan Associations, as well as Peace for All International, we have heard experiences of well rooted and more emergent groups. The challenges explored were how to ensure youth participation for sustainability, and advocacy for accessible funding from local, provincial and federal funders. The dialogue continues through the collaboration of the Immigration Waterloo Region, Volunteer Action Centre Waterloo Region and Social Development Centre Waterloo Region.
Citizens from neighbourhoods across Kitchener, city councillors & staff, and representatives of various supporting businesses and agencies came together in a spirit of celebration to share ideas on how to make their neighbourhoods stronger, and to be inspired by the stories of others. Participants struck conversations while enjoying ice cream and snacks, and visiting informational stations that highlighted the key aims of the Festival of Neighbourhoods and recognized the energy and efforts of participants. The Celebration was organized as a “gathering of the gatherings”, staying true to the overall aims of the Festival for bringing people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to meet and engage with one another. Read about the recognition to neighbourhoods comitted to inclusion in our November E-Neighbour and see more on the new Festival of Neighbourhoods Website!
We are fortunate to live in a prosperous community but the benefits of living in Waterloo Region are
not shared equitably. Some of us are missed, forgotten or left behind. We need greater representation
of diverse voices at the decision-making tables to address unaffordable housing, income insecurity,
and social exclusion. You can join the movement by supporting the work of Lived Experience Groups
through Peer Internship Projects, or help us bring the grassroots, ethnocultural and volunteer-led
resident groups under the roof of the Civic Hub Waterloo Region.
Can we recognize the land as a precious common good it is? We would then treat housing as a human right, not a commodity. People that live in a particular geography will have control over its use and stewardship. Public land will not be sold for profit-making. We can start saving the common good. Saving lives. Hear the wisdom of the people directly impacted by the homelessness, housing precarity and displacement. They speak of the inherent capacity of lived experience to guide strategies and policies. Actually, they tell us why it is necessary for low income residents to be at the heart of the solutions we will be creating as a community. The hope is that in the next year or two, you will have a chance to talk to many of them about their vision of social and affordable housing in Waterloo Region.
In the third part of the series, you can think with us about "How Did We Get Here?". The conditions for the current affordable housing crisis have been building up for decades. Many policy changes in Canada and Ontario since the 90’s could be named, such as the interruption of the federal investment in social and non-market housing, provincial cuts to social assistance programs, or downloading of social service costs to municipalities. The list would go on. The point here is not to unpack the policy changes. The focus is on shedding light on the mindset that created those policies or that failed to anticipate and respond to the crisis in the making. It is the same mindset that has been shaping the course of the urban development and gentrification in cities around the world, as well as in Waterloo Region.
