Dear Alliance Members,
In my role as Executive Director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa I continue to be struck by the vibrancy of the Alliance’s community of members and stakeholders. And I am reminded that we are only as strong, as knowledgeable, and as effective as our capacity for collaboration allows us to be.
As the membership renewal period is upon us, I want to share with you the impact your contribution has made to INFORM – LEARN – INSPIRE a community wide effort to end homelessness over 2017:
§ We convened the largest Community Forum on Ending Homelessness to date, engaging local leaders on in-depth issues of importance to our community such as Housing First, Inclusionary Zoning, Housing as a Human Right and the National Housing Strategy – and so much more!
§ The Alliance produced the 12th Annual Progress Report on Ending Homelessness in Ottawa measuring impact, gaps, challenges and progress to ensure that as a community we hold ourselves to account for the goals we have established.
§ Our staff, Board, committees, volunteers and members have supported ongoing collaboration and engagement amongst our partners including convening the youth collaborative A Way Home Ottawa, advocating to council in support of Making Voices Count, and engaging on local capacity issues such as with Refugee613, and Broadening the Base.
Now, more than ever, we need to renew our commitment to working together to build leadership, innovation and engagement in the sector. With your support, the Alliance is ushering in an ambitious plan for 2018 that includes:
§ Driving results oriented advocacy as we approach municipal and provincial elections in 2018;
§ Informing the mid-point review of the City’s 10-Year Housing & Homelessness Plan;
§ Increasing member engagement through Member Meetings, building our communications platforms and better equipping members with advocacy, policy and relevant issue updates;
§ Leading systems level change by coordinating Ottawa’s first ever sector wide Systems Mapping initiative to inform an evidence based approach to future policy, program and funding related targets, specific to Ottawa’s housing and homelessness community needs.
We’ve already started working on our 2018 goals:
Learn more about the Alliance’s new policy platforms, and play a role in our related advocacy outreach. Information on the roll out of our Systems Mapping project will also be shared. A Panel Discussion on the practice implications of Housing As a Human Right will follow.
Visit our new website we will be developing over the coming months to bring you more timely and relevant news on the housing and homelessness sector:
We are grateful to all our members for your continued support. Together we can bring an end to homelessness.
Sincerely,
Kristen Holinsky
By: Karen Umurerwa, Expert Steering Team Member
Housing and Mental Health in Black Communities
In 2012, my family made the hard decision to move from Rwanda to Canada. The transition from my homeland to Canada was the toughest process I could have gone through. Canada was a land of opportunities, but it was one that was completely foreign to us as we had no friends or family that could ease our integration.
By: Yetunde Amanda Ona
Embracing Identity: The Bonds of the African Diaspora
The following piece was written by Yetunde Amanda Ona who arrived in Canada 6 years ago with her young children as a refugee claimant. She navigated the homelessness system, and is now an Alliance staff member working to create a more effective and dignified housing and homelessness system. These are her reflections on identity and the African Diaspora.
By: Gail Gallagher
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Dec. 6th)
On this day, we remember the innocent lives lost and of the murder of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989. As a result of this tragic event, December 6 was designated as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
In addition, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begins on November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on December 10 with International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days of Activism are an opportunity to come together to speak out and renew our commitment to end gender-based violence.
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