PSR/RPS Canada

Winnipeg, Manitoba

2013 Housing Symposium

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE:  What is our Story?  

Who are we Selling it to?

Welcome from Winnipeg!In the year following the first housing symposium good news is in the air. The Federal Government recommitted funds for five years starting in 2014 to respond to the unmet housing and support needs of Canadians. We know how many people living with serious mental illness find themselves impacted by poverty and homelessness. We as a sector, across Canada, have shown what we can do when we get the resources required and working with consumers to dramatically improve not only their health and well-being but the communities they live in. Now more than ever we need to come together to share good ideas and practices, to inspire one another and get ready to promote change.

We have a great symposium planned for you, with something old, our community of practice sessions.We will be offering sessions to discuss, share and learn from each other on Ethical Dilemmas,Collecting Data and Practical Advice all relating to Housing as a Right, Housing First and IntegratingServices.

We have Anshula Chowdhury presenting on Social Assets Measurement, Liz Weaver from Tamarack with a focus on Advocacy, a presentation from Adam Spence on the Social Finance Toolkit and an inspiring presentation with Jijian Voronka from U of Toronto on Storytelling with an ethics focus.There will be a video booth with inspirational short movies and several exhibitors from the mental health and housing sectors.

We look forward to sharing stories, connecting with like-minded participants and building our Community of Practice.

Welcome from the 2013 Housing Symposium Committee

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Brigitte WitkowskiExecutive Director, Mainstay HousingHousing Symposium Co-Chair

Continuity gives us roots, change gives us branches

Welcome to the 2nd Housing Symposium Time and time again, we are provided with proof of the importance of having a secure living space with the required support to make sure that people can be successful in their housing. 

In August 2013 the Ontario Medical Association came out with the following announcement, “Ontario’s doctors call for greater investments in housing programs and comprehensive housing policies to improve the health of our patients.”

Unsafe and unaffordable housing is tied to poor health outcomes, and current programs that provide housing assistance are simply not sufficient to protect health.

“As doctors, we see patients regularly who don’t have access to safe and affordable housing. The impact on their health is significant,” said Dr. Scott Wooder, president of the Ontario Medical Association. “Secure housing both prevents illness and improves patients’ recovery. Housing-supportive policies are good investments that pay significant health dividends.”

For those of us dedicated to and passionate regarding the right to safe, affordable housing with the appropriate supports, this is hardly a revelation.  But it sure is nice to have the physicians speak publically about the positive impact of our housing with supports. 

PSR RPS Canada have many members who recognize the critical importance of a community of practice where we can share learnings and address those many situations where there isn’t a right or wrong answer.  We just want people to be successful in maintaining their housing.

Thanks for coming and being a part of the answers.  It is hoped that the community of participants will gain a greater understanding in their work and build beneficial relationships. And have fun!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Meade

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Welcome from PSR/RPS CanadaWelcome from PSR/RPS Canada

Victoria Huehn

President, PSR/RPS CanadaHousing Symposium Co-Chair

Continuity gives us roots, change gives us branches

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EventTime Details

Housing Symposium Day One - Thursday, September 26th, 2013

Registration and Breakfast

Opening CeremonyGrand Ballroom

Keynote SpeakerGrand Ballroom

Health BreakGrand Ballroom

Community of PracticeSession 1:Collecting & Using Data

LunchGrand Ballroom Foyer

Community of PracticeSession 2:Best Practices

Health BreakGrand Ballroom Foyer

Community of PracticeSession 3:Ethical Dilemmas We Face

Symposium ReceptionGrand Ballroom

7:45am – 9:00am

9:00am – 9:30am

9:30am – 10:30am

10:30am – 11:00am

11:00am – 12:30pm

12:30pm – 1:30pm

1:30pm – 3:00pm

3:00pm – 3:30pm

3:30pm – 5:00pm

5:00pm – 7:00pm

BuffetGrand Ballroom Foyer

Welcome from Minister of Housingand Housing Committee

Anshula ChowdhurySocial Assets Measurement

Coffee/Tea/Light MunchiesVideo Booth

Café 1: Grand BallroomCafé 2: Selkirk BallroomCafé 3: Selkirk Annex

Buffet Lunch Video Booth

Café 1: Grand BallroomCafé 2: Selkirk BallroomCafé 3: Selkirk Annex

Coffee/TeaVideo Booth

Café 1: Grand BallroomCafé 2: Selkirk BallroomCafé 3: Selkirk Annex

Mix and Mingle Reception

The shortest distance between new friends is a smile.

~ Unknown -

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EventTime Details

Housing Symposium Day Two - Friday, September 27th, 2013

Registration and Breakfast

Welcome CeremonyGrand Ballroom

Keynote SpeakerGrand Ballroom

Health BreakGrand Ballroom

Keynote SpeakerGrand Ballroom

LunchGrand Ballroom

Keynote SpeakerGrand Ballroom

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

7:30am – 8:30am

8:30am – 8:45am

8:45am – 10:00am

10:00am – 10:30am

10:30am – 12:00pm

12:00pm – 1:00pm

1:00pm – 2:30pm

2:30pm – 3:30pm

BuffetGrand Ballroom Foyer

Day One Review

Adam SpenceMarS Centre for Impact Investing

Coffee/Tea/Light MunchiesVideo Booth

Jijian VoronkaOISE/University of Toronto

BuffetVideo Booth

Liz WeaverTamarak

Review/Evaluation/Wrap Up

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Housing Symposium at a GlanceHousing Symposium at a Glance

Thank you to the Housing Committee

Thank you for your time, energy, and great ideas. All of your hard work has helped make this year’s

Symposium a Success!

Brigitte Witkowski - Mainstay Housing - Symposium Committee Co-ChairVicky Huehn - Frontenac Community Mental Health & Addiction Services, Committee Co-ChairLisa Ker - Ottawa SalusMarie Cecile Mbadugha-Kotyk - CMHA WinnipegLouise Lapierre - Mental Health Commission of CanadaGail Thornhill- Stella’s CircleMarion Quigley, CMHA SudburyShawna Lavallee, Sara Riel Inc.Ben Fry, Winnipeg Regional Housing Authority

We are excited to share videos from various organization working in mental health and housing. Please take a moment to view the videos during lunch and break. A timetable will be posted near the video seating area.

Video1: Bell Hotel offers fresh start for Winnipeg’s homeless This is a success story as this link explains the development of the Bell Hotel which is supportive housing that has 42 self-contained units in downtown Winnipeg. It also supports the notion of housing as a right and not a privilege and outlines the successes that can be achieved from safe, affordable and permanent housing.

Video 2: CMHA - Journey to Recovery Canadian Mental Health Association -- Sudbury/ Manitoulin Branch presents a special production showcasing the journey to recovery through two powerful client stories. We learn of an individual’s hope and belief in recovery and hear from formal and informal supports. This short feature highlights the CMHA’s services and the agency’s recovery-orientated approach to service delivery.

Video 3: The Rivers RunThis 22 minute documentary portrays the experience of a group of musicians who, after defining their country/rock sound, became the Ottawa Salus Big Bucket Band. The film showcases the positive impact of music and music-making upon individual recovery journeys. Music brings people together.  Music builds hope and relationships.  Music creates change.

Video 4: CMHA Ottawa Moods ExpressedMoods Expressed is an arts-based group of artists living with mental illness through the Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa. The group has helped members to share and sell their art at events, and to also fight the stigma of mental illness

Video 5: “I Look Forward to Monday Morning”: Mental Health, Wellness and the WorkplaceThe video tells the stories of four people (Barry, Mike, Sherri and Cameron) and the challenges they faced finding employment (Tim Horton’s, Home Depot, Diamond Hotels and Service Master), while fighting the stigma of mental illness in the workplace. The video was created by Glenda Carter and Lori White of the Vocational Services of Frontenac Community Mental Health & Addiction Services (FCMHAS) in partnership with Queen’s University, as an aid to increase employment opportunities for individuals with mental illness and/or addiction issues.

Video 6: Unheard VoicesThis film follows the footsteps and voices of seven homeless people who have spent years on the streets of Toronto. Their stories not only help us understand how homelessness impacts them and the people in our communities, but it is a powerful exposé of a system gone terribly wrong. Along with compelling accounts of experiences in the city, the film reveals an underlying urgency that requires us to take immediate action to address homelessness locally and across the country. Listen to the stories of former homeless Calgarians. Meet Patricia, Leta, Roger, Matthew, Rebecca, Bertha and Franklin. They will share their stories about when they were homeless and what it means to have a permanent home.

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Visit our Video Booth at breakfast, breaks and lunch

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Housing Symposium Cafés

Café 1: Housing As A Right: What do you collect and why? Is Housing part of your strategic plan? What does success look like?

Café 2: Housing First How do we measure success? Indicators?

Café 3: Integrating Services How do we measure to improve service integration for a shared client outcome? Scorecards? Dashboards?

Café 1: HOUSING AS A RIGHT: Focus on building on the strengths of custodial housing through a ‘Recovery Lens’.

Café 2: HOUSING FIRST ‘Housing First’ as an Approach: Challenges, Opportunities and Funding.

Café 3: INTEGRATING SERVICES Supporting transition from one setting to another (shelter/street to housing; one housing type to another)

Grand Ballroom

Selkirk Ballroom

Selkirk Annex

Grand Ballroom

Selkirk Ballroom

Selkirk Annex

11:00AM- 12:30PM

1:30pm - 3:00pm

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE SESSION #1

COLLECTING AND USING DATA

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE SESSION #2

BEST PRACTICES

Thursday, September 26th, 2013

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“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

“Tell me and I forget,Teach me and I remember,Involve me and I learn”

- Benjamin Franklin

Housing Symposium Cafés

Café 1: Housing as A Right: A focus on Access and Waiting List Management through on “Ethics” Lens

Café 2: Housing First ‘Housing First’ as an approach: Practitioner Identification of Elements

Café 3: Integrating Services Effective response to helping people maintain housing success - lessons learned(landlord education, tactics for successful tenancy; respite care; supporting the individual and community facing behavioural issues)

Grand Ballroom

Selkirk Ballroom

Selkirk Annex

3:30pm - 5:00pmCOMMUNITY OF PRACTICE SESSION #3

ETHICAL DILEMMAS WE FACE

Thursday, September 26th, 2013

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“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to

change the world.”

Join us in Toronto for our 3rd Housing Symposium

September 25th - 26th, 2014

Let’s continue the conversation…..

Homelessness In CanadaBy The Numbers

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Homelessness By NumbersHomelessness By Numbers

As many as 1.3 million Canadians have experienced homelessness

2,800 unsheltered

10% of households live below the low income cut-off

50 days is the median length of stay in an emergency shelter

380,600 households live in severe housing need

Most people are homeless for less than 1 month

7,350 staying in violence against women shelters

As many as 50,000 may be ’hidden homeless’ on any given night

Homelessness costs the Canadian economy $7 billion annually

8.2% of households are experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity

4,464 temporary institutional accommodations

At least 200,000 Canadians experience homlessness in a year

14,400 staying in emergency shelters

47.5% of the homeless are single male adults

29% stay one nights & manage to leave homlessness on their own with

little support

Between 1980 and 2005 the average earning among the least wealthy Canadians fell by 20%

10% of families do not have enough money to meet even the most basic needs

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Keynote Presentations: Grand BallroomKe

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Thursday, September 26th, 2013 9:30am - 10:30amKeynote: ANSHULA CHOWDHURY, CEO, Social Assets Measurement Inc.

UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT MEASUREMENT IN HOUSING

Measuring the impact of housing programs is notoriously difficult. And yet, as non-profit organizations, governments, and the corporations broaden their understanding of value beyond a single bottom line, the stakes for the housing sector are high. What’s at stake? What are the solutions? What are the roles major players can take on to push the sector forward? Anshula will talk about what steps organization in social housing can take to measure their impact today and into the future based on her extensive experience in measuring large-scale complex social projects.

About Anshula Chowdhury

Anshula is the Chief Executive Officer of Social Assets Measurements Inc. Started in May 2011, SAM has developed the industry-leading Social Return Intelligence Suite. It is the leading software provider for Social Return on Investment and Impact Measurement reporting in Canada. SAM’s clients include organizations such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Centre for Social Innovation, and Trico Charitable Foundation, among other educational institutions, non-profits, financial institutions, and government agencies.Anshula conceived of SAM as co-founder of the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada. During this time, she also launched the Youth Social Innovation Capital Fund, which is the first by-youth for-youth professional impact investing fund in Canada. Her international experiences span the non-profit and for-profit sectors in various countries such as Jamaica and India.

Friday, September 27th, 2013 8:45am - 10:00am Keynote: ADAM SPENCE, Associate Director, MaRS Centre for Impact Investing

BLENDED FINANCING FOR IMPACT: THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIAL FINANCE IN SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

This session will provide an in-depth overview of social finance, as well as models, practical tools and tips, and recommendations for housing providers to increase the supply of supportive housing through the use of blended financing strategies using social finance.

About Adam Spence

Adam Spence is the Founder of the SVX and Associate Director, Venture & Capital Programs at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing. For over ten years, Adam has focused his work on driving social, economic, and environmental justice through community development, education, social innovation, and public policy change as an advocate, researcher, and social entrepreneur. At MaRS, Adam helped found the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing and the School for Social Entrepreneurs – Ontario. He was Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) for five years, a community animator for the skilled trades in Hamilton, and led the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). In 2002, Adam was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Gold Medal, and in 2012 Adam was named one of McMaster University’s 125 People of Impact, an honour given to McMaster staff and alumni who have made the greatest impact over the past 125 years

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Keynote Presentations - Grand BallroomKeynote Presentations - Grand BallroomFriday, September 27th, 2013 10:30am - 12:00pm

Keynote: JIJIAN VORONKA, OISE/University of Toronto

RECLAIMING OUR STORYTELLING: THEORETICAL, PRACTICE AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR PEERS AND PROVIDERS

Consumer/survivors have historically used our stories as a way to ‘talk back’ to service systems in order to effect positive change. It has now become common practice for service systems to incorporate consumer narratives within their mandate as a way of ‘giving voice’ to peers. This talk will draw from anti-oppressive debates to consider the dynamics and ethical complications of asking marginalized people to share their narratives, paying particular attention to when this is asked of clients/peer workers. What can the harnessing of our personal accounts do, for whom, and to what benefit? It will also explore some practice concerns, drawing from qualitative interviews with peers about their experiences of storytelling. Finally, we will explore some practical reflections for peers and providers to consider when venturing into this nexus, and how we can imagine doing otherwise.

About Jijian Voronka

Jijian Voronka is a PhD Candidate at the OISE/University of Toronto, her dissertation focused on the possibilities, limits, and conditions of peer involvement in research and service provision. She teaches “A History of Madness” at Ryerson University’s School of Disability Studies and does consultation work with the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Housing and Homelessness initiative.

Friday, September 27th, 2013 1:00pm - 2:30pmKeynote LIZ WEAVER, Vice-President, Tamarack

ADVOCACY: SELLING OUR STORY

Increasingly, communities and collaboratives are looking at the framework of collective impact as a way to organize themselves. This includes concepts such as a common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication. Tamarack is building a body of experience and information that will help us all scale community change efforts more effectively.

About Liz Weaver

Liz Weaver is the lead for Vibrant Communities Canada -Cities Reducing Poverty and Tamarack’s Vice-President. Liz helps initiatives develop their frameworks of change, supports and guides their projects and helps connect them to Vibrant Communities and other comprehensive community collaborations. Prior to this position, she was the Lead Coach for Vibrant Communities Canada with Tamarack. She has also been Director for the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction, which was recognized with the Canadian Urban Institute’s David Crombie Leadership Award in 2009. In her career, Liz has held leadership positions with YWCA Hamilton, Volunteer Hamilton and Volunteer Canada. In 2002, Liz completed a Masters of Management for National Voluntary Sector Leaders through McGill University and her thesis ‘Storytelling and the Voluntary Sector’ was published. Liz was awarded a Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2002 for her leadership in the voluntary sector, was an Athena Award finalist and in 2004 was awarded the Women in the Workplace award from the City of Hamilton.

Contact PSR/RPS Canada Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR)

Réadaptation Psychosociale (RPS) Canada

Email: support@psrrpscanada.ca

Tel: 1 866 655 8548

www.psrrpscanada.ca

Building a Community of Practice

Housing First

Integrating Services

Housing as a Right

PSR / RPS Canada’s Housing Symposium