AHAN

1. AHAN Strategic Planning Session 2007- 2008

2. Meeting Dates 2007 • Wednesday March 21st, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, County Administration Building, 3rd floor Committee Rooms 3A&B • Wednesday June 20th, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, County Administration Building, 3rd floor Committee Rooms 3A&B • Wednesday September 19th, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, County Administration Building, 3rd floor Committee Rooms 3A&B • Thursday November 22nd, National Housing Strategy Day, Time and location to be announced.

3. What we are working from: √ Boxed In Report – Appendix Action Plan √Regional Homeless Reports √CDC’s Report Card – Home, Home on the Fringe √Continual Feedback – AHAN meetings What is our Action Plan based on the above reports?

4. Strategic PlanAHAN Steering Committee Objective: • Raise level of awareness of issues related to homelessness and the need for affordable housing

5. Steering Committee Goal: “Know your law” – focusing on legal changes Action: • Present at AHAN Meeting • Co-host sessions for Service Providers and tenants outside of Belleville (brown bags in Trenton, Centre Hastings, North Hastings and Deseronto) • Co-host sessions for tenants. Partners needed

6. Steering Committee Goal: • Resources for tenants/landlord Action: • Update packages for landlords and tenants. Distribute widely. Can include on AHAN website.

7. Steering Committee Goal: • Provide information on energy issues Action: • Provide information to tenants/landlords on energy efficiency initiatives, smart meter, Low Income Energy Network. Can include on AHAN website.

8. Steering Committee Goal: • Poster on general awareness of AHAN/homelessness – refer to the Halifax example Action: • Seek funds for the creation of poster (possibly Services Canada?)

9. Steering Committee Goal: • Prevention and Affordability for families with children Action: • Examine the linkages between claw back of the NCB and affordability of housing and look at what other communities have done. Provide information on resources available to supplement working families (i.e.. Child Care Supplements, National Child Benefit). Can include on AHAN website. • Hold forum inviting David Milne, advocate and include other areas such as Peterborough to see what they do regarding NCB

10. Bricks and Mortar Task Force Objective: • Encourage creation of new affordable housing opportunities

11. Bricks and Mortar Task Force Goal: • Public Forum on innovations in other areas Action: • Investigate Forum ideas

12. Bricks and Mortar Task Force Goal: • Recruit non-traditional partners Action: • Create list of non-traditional players and send letter

13. Bricks and Mortar Task Force Goal: • Partner with agencies to develop feasibility study Action: • Partnerships with Hastings County Social Housing, Three Oaks, Our House etc.

14. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Create more affordable housing units Action: • Work with Hastings County to provide community input and community support for the development of new affordable housing units through the Federal/Provincial/Municipal Affordable Housing Program

15. Information Sharing and Networking Task Force Objective: • Increase networking and awareness for seamless service delivery

16. Information Sharing and Networking Task Force Goal: • Involving outside Belleville areas more formally/deliberately in the network (Regional Homeless Plans) Action: • Refer to Regional Plans – invite members from the Brown Bag lunches to be involved in AHAN

17. Information Sharing and Networking Task Force Goal: • Invite Lenox and Addington to AHAN meetings Action: • Develop formal invitation to L&A

18. Information Sharing and Networking Task Force Goal: • Forums – What my agency/organization can do to prevent homelessness? Action: • Co-Sponsor with the Legal Clinic through the Eviction Prevention Project a guest speaker -Sherry Tingley, who was involved in federal research and produced a report called “Cycles of Homelessness, Understanding Eviction Prevention and its relation to Homelessness”.

19. Information Sharing and Networking Task Force Goal: • Maintain membership list, website updates and recruitment Action: • Ongoing maintenance of lists and website updates

20. Advocacy Task Force Objective: • Advocate for changes to laws and programs to prevent/eradicate homelessness

21. Advocacy Task Force Goal: • Update public presentation. Where can it be presented? Action: • Present to various groups/governments

22. Advocacy Task Force Goal: • Assist with the development and promotion of Vital Services By-law and Property Standards By-law Action: • Meet with Belleville Councillors as requested

23. Advocacy Task Force Goal: • What is the municipal, provincial, federal strategy? Action: • Advocacy Taskforce to develop a strategy for AHAN to implement for all three levels of government

24. Advocacy Task Force Goal: • Work with community partners to develop a strategy to prevent avoidable eviction from social housing Action: • Tenant education workshops to be offered in conjunction with Hastings County Housing Programs Brach as recommended in the Rural Homelessness Initiative Community Plans

25. Advocacy Task Force Goal: • Human Rights/ Accommodation of disability (refer to CDC Report Card under “Continuum of supports – Coordination of Services ). Hold forum on Human Rights and Accommodations. Action: • Referring to the CDC report, obtain information on Human Rights/ Accommodations and accessibility such as transportation and develop forum ideas.

26. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Objective: • Maintain and promote strong AHAN with sufficient resources to do work

27. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Obtain administrative support for tasks/fundraising Action: • Apply for funding through: SCPI, Job Creation Partnership, Trillium, United Way, etc. (need lead agencies)

28. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Website updates/electronic communications “make it easy” Action: • Steering Committee work with Info Sharing and Networking to develop best communication strategy with AHAN (i.e.. list serve)

29. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Standardize Agenda – what reports to we need? Action: • Bring in reports from other networks, groups (i.e.. Child welfare group, Emergency Services Group etc.)

30. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Bring in new ideas from other places (i.e. Housing Again Bulletin, Housing Help conference, National Networks) Action: • We want to move forward on recommendations, how? Use new ideas as a standard agenda item

31. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Invite CDC to give feedback on Home, Home on the Fringe Report Action: • Invitation to the CDC to present to AHAN. Steering Committee examine and discuss, “Home, Home on the Fringe” next steps based on content and report card

32. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Maintain archives Action: • Develop system for tracking and maintaining AHAN archives

33. AHAN, Steering Committee and Task Forces Goal: • Support Services from United Way/Co-director of Labour Support Services Action: • Develop working relationship with Co-Director of Labour Support and invite to sit on committee(s)

34. Strategic Plan Comments, Discussion and Questions