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Community Hubs: Anchors for Strong Neighbourhoods

Community Hubs: Anchors for Strong Neighbourhoods. Exploring Shared Services: Co-location and Itinerant Services ’ Forum Toronto West Local Immigration Partnership November 19, 2015. Lorraine Duff Director, Programs. Presentation Overview. To provide an overview of Community Hubs

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Community Hubs: Anchors for Strong Neighbourhoods

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  1. Community Hubs: Anchors for Strong Neighbourhoods Exploring Shared Services: Co-location and Itinerant Services’ Forum Toronto West Local Immigration Partnership November 19, 2015 Lorraine Duff Director, Programs

  2. Presentation Overview • To provide an overview of Community Hubs • To provide proposed components ofco-location, collaboration and integration • To provide overview, insights and key learnings from United Way Toronto and York Region’s community hub development journey

  3. What is a Community Hub “Community hubs provide a central access point for a range of needed health and social services, along with cultural, recreational, and green spaces to nourish community life. A community hub can be a school, a neighbourhood centre, an early learning centre, a library, an elderly persons centre, a community health centre, an old government building, a place of worship or another public space….Each hub is as unique as the community it serves and is defined by local needs, services and resources.” Community Hubs in Ontario: A Strategic Framework & Action Plan, August 2015 For full report go to: Ontario.ca/communityhubs

  4. Community Hubs- Some Examples “Places where people come together to get services, meet one another and plan together” Youth Centres Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre, Ingersoll Multiservice Centres WoodGreen Community Centre,Toronto Child Advocacy Centres 7 centres in Ontario CHCs and Hubs Langs, Cambridge Immigration Welcome Centres York and Durham Regions

  5. Possible Co-location, Collaboration, Integration Components

  6. Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy • Increased funding for agencies in the inner suburbs • Systemic policy change • Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) • Resident Action Grants Components • Community Hubs • Tower Neighbourhood Renewal

  7. Community Hubs: Why is social infrastructure needed in inner suburbs? • High rates of poverty • Physical landscape creates isolation • The number of community health and social services have not kept up with population growth • Services may be hard to find or hard to get to • Transportation barriers • Few places for residents to gather; some have fees

  8. Community Hubs – United Way ‘model’ The Road A Community Hub is a one stop place to access a range of relevant community services/programs, and community space; and facilitates the involvement of a broad range of community residents and stakeholders 7 operating and 1 in play Hubs: 1 school reno; 2 new builds on school sites; 5 private rentals Agency lead + partner agencies (1 hub - Board of Directors) Research/engagement identified the needs of residents Other “hubs” - developed 12 youth spaces through Youth Challenge Fund (YCF); and UW funds many multiservice organizations across Toronto and York Region

  9. Hub Principles • Neighbourhood based and locally responsive • Accessible and engaging of diversity • Resident involvement in decision- making • Service coordination and collaboration • Community space • Financial sustainability

  10. United Way Priority Neighbourhoods, ANC, TNR and Community Hubs Locations Community Health Centre* + Community Hub *Community Health Centers offer primary health care and health promotion. Non-CHC Hubs TNR

  11. Milestones • 50+ partner agencies across all Hubs • 75+ itinerant partners • UWT- total $8.8M; leveraged $30M • UWT operating $153,000/year; all levels of government (Province 10 ministries/LHINS)-specific program $ • CIC funds 12 organizations in Hubs • 168,000 SF of new multiservice infrastructure including 27,000 SF of community space and approx. 34,000 SF of primary care/health services space • Hubs services and space used over1.3 million times

  12. Community Hubs – United Way ‘model’ Impacts - coordinated, community driven services; free space for community residents to support engagement; place to come and “be”; responsiveness-address broader community issues beyond Hub; resident involvement Challenges – Operating sustainability; ensuring coordination/collaboration; responding to new community needs; effective resident involvement

  13. Community Hubs- United Way ‘Model’ The Development Pot Holes • UW wanted hubs in public spaces, esp. schools: challenges encountered • Easier to rent private spaces; cheaper to renovate but higher rents • Lack of pre-development capacity and resources • Capital finance/acquisition-schools sold at market value-reg 444/98 • $ for school renovations and state of good repair - often expensive or better to rebuild • Capital approvals process are cumbersome and siloed; Rexdale CHC satellite in Rexdale Hub announced in 2005 & 2013 yet still in capital process

  14. Community Hubs- United Way ‘Model’ The Development Pot Holes Barriers such as zoning, development fees and property taxes- handled differently from municipality to municipality Long term, sustainable funding for both ongoing operating and coordination/engagement costs to maximize hub benefits and community impacts AccessPoint on Danforth • Co-locating in schools also challenging – alignment issues, safety, security of long tenure, capital $ • Funding silos

  15. Best Practices/Learnings Why a Hub: • Shared vision, mission, values • Needs Assessment • Collocation/collaboration/Integration or ? (services, space, back office, shared reception, 1 face?) • Ownership/Governance Structure • Effective resident engagement and involvement- a true community building model? • Finding Partners Bathurst-Finch Hub

  16. Best Practices/Learnings • Lead agency and anchor partners- committed to the model/work well together • Develop Agreements/regular check in • Management of space/shared policies • Formal policies and structures • Data collection/evaluation • Capacity building/continuous learning • Resilience and Adaptability Victoria Park Hub

  17. Best Practices/Learnings Funding/Financing • Diversified, sufficient, and sustainable funding for: • Development • Core Operations • Capital • Resident and Partner engagement • Development time/expertise

  18. Best Practices/Learnings • Revenue: • Rent • Other (anchor funding) • Productive Enterprises • Costs • Operating • Repairs/Maintenance/reserves • Shared costs – i.e.. Reception, Manager, back office, photocopier, computers, WiFi, phones • Supporting the model (i.e. Community Partnership staff)

  19. Best Practices/Learnings Partner Agency Selection • Be clear what are needs/focus of hub • Clear process to find partners against mission • Who makes decisions • Tenant or Licensee Agreement or other ? • Lease Terms

  20. Key Takeaways – Hubs Work! • Hubs can help meet government policy priorities • Space, services, and synergy • Flexible - local design allows tailoring • Meets increasing demands from a range of stakeholders for coordinated/integrated service delivery and collective impact • Need overarching mandate & regulatory framework

  21. Thank you Lorraine Duff Director, Programs 416 777 1444 ext. 593 lduff@uwgt.org

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