The success stories are gradually multiplying as the awareness, partnerships and tenant capacity building to challenge evictions spread across the three cities. Read the six month report, April to September 2023, explore the case studies and internal evolution of the team, now including a Tenant Organizing Peer Worker. Get in touch with our team, as they learn and evolve the ways to walk alongside tenants in their struggles to ensure their right to home. We are happy to let you know also that Waterloo Region ACORN, the newly formed Tenant Union, is hosting meetings and organizing in the Civic Hub.
Eviction Prevention Six Month Report
30th Anniversary Kitchener's Festival of Neighbourhoods
The time does fly when you are having fun! Thirty years ago, we were sent on a mission to support neighbourhood connections because of our differences and diversity. There were years when we registered over 170 activities hosted by neighbours for neighbours and invited 70 neighbourhoods to the Annual Celebration. You still have time until All Hallow’s Eve by midnight to register your gathering and make sure your neighbourhood is eligible for a draw for $20,000 for a Capital Improvement Grant with the City of Kitchener!
Projects you may want to seek funding for could include murals, permanent outdoor equipment and furniture, improvement to green spaces, community gardens and many more creative possibilities that required ongoing permanent structures.
Those who register their inclusive gatherings with the Festival must attend the celebration to have your ballot entered for the capital grant. All curious and neighbourly people are still invited to have fun and celebrate our anniversary. R.S.V.P. to attend this year's celebration until November 15th.
NEW STUDY: Many Faces of Displacement in Ontario
The Social Planning Network has partnered with the University of Waterloo and Social Development Centre Waterloo Region to support four regional social planning councils (Kingston and District, Oxford County, York Region, and Cornwall and Area) in advancing advocacy to counter tenant evictions and displacement in communities across Ontario. The report "Many Faces of Urban and Rural Displacement" study is available with the recommendations that will guide our collective responses by filling gaps in lived experience leadership.
"Through detailed studies of each region and its tenants’ experiences, we found that despite different built forms, demographics, local economies, population densities, and vacancy rates, tenants across Ontario had a shared experience of displacement. Tenants explained how tactics were used to push them out, and discussed the lasting impact of displacement and the necessity of change." SPNO (spno.ca), October 2023
Administrative Coordinator Job Posting
Do the values of SDC resonate with you? We are recruiting for the position of an Administrative Coordinator. It is an annual renewing contract position, based on available funding. The position is for 30 hours per week at a rate of $26.25/hour. The position would be carried out in person at SDC office, starting early November 2023. Apply by November 3rd. Not having all the listed skills and qualifications should not in itself exclude you from submitting an application. The groups we serve are very diverse and inclusive, our team is committed to increase the representation of talent and backgrounds within our organization.
Civic Engagement and Grassroots Organizing
REPORT LAUNCH: "Civic Engagement and Grassroots Organizing Through the COVID-19 Pandemic" - role of grassroots in building community and surviving change.
Sept 23rd at 12:30pm at the Civic Hug! Join us and meet with Civic Hug partner groups!
Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Prototyping
Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Prototyping Pilot Project started in March 2023 involving a team of lived experts, Region and SDC staff, seeking to enable implementation of potential solutions to end chronic homelessness rooted in lived experience of unsheltered and hidden homeless. The "Lived Expertise Prototyping Project" process report was compiled to describe the work done by August 2023, and was interwoven into the Key Findings Report that was presented to the Council on September 12th. The Key Findings report is available at this link, and the presentation to the Community and Health Committee is available on YouTube (51:18).
Ride for Refuge - September 23
We will open our doors for all the Riders on Saturday September 23rd at 10am, the ride starts at 11am! The detailed schedule is at the Kitchener Central Ride page! We will love to rest after the walks and the bike ride at our Civic Hub, have some lunch and build up our resonance around the important issues for the year ahead: "Keep Everybody Housed", stopping the flow from evictions to homelessness, and "Filling the Gap" the future of community advocacy and the Civic Hub. If you cannot invite your own team to join the fundraiser, you can always donate by joining the "Keep Everyone Housed" team at the Ride for Refugee portal. Or just come and cheer with us!
Renoviction Town Hall Panel September 21
Michelle Knight, the Coordinator of the Eviction Prevention Waterloo Region, will be joining a mighty panel of local advocates from different fields at the Town Hall organized by Councillor Rob Deutschmann on September 21st, 2023. "Hear firsthand the daunting realities faced by many tenants in today's volatile housing landscape and engage in a meaningful discussion with our guest speakers on how to protect yourself, your home, and your rights as a renter." You can contribute to this critical conversation as you register for the town hall. The event is recorded and will be available online.
falling through the cracks - Voices of Displacement
Kitchener Public Library was a host to the exhibit "falling through the cracks" together with the Wilfrid Laurier University research team and the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region. “This project allowed members of our working group to experience research from the perspective of researchers rather than subjects being researched,” said David Alton, LEWG facilitator at the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region. “The exhibit has been a powerful tool to help working group members talk to city staff about displacement and the many layers of subjective experience attached to places and spaces.” Please see more at the Wilfred Laurier University website - full online exhibit coming soon! Thank you all for your generous donations and sending off the group to the CAEH conference of homelessness in Halifax in November 2023!
Lived Experience Displacement Exhibit August 16th
The Lived Expertise Working Group has been working with the Wilfrid Laurier University students and professors to explore the impact of ongoing displacement in the City of Kitchener. Together, they are hosting a Photo Voice Displacement Exhibit at Kitchener Central Library on Queen Street on August 16th from 5pm to 8pm. The exhibit has visual, three dimensional, and story telling components. The event is also a fundraiser for the working groups' participation at the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness 2023 Conference. You can RSVP at this link, or if you cant come, you can donate to support their trip to the conference in Halifax through the GoFundMe portal.