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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPAC 2009-03-04 Minutes.pdf) District of Maple Ridge SOCIAL PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING The Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Social Planning Advisory Committee, held in the Blaney Room at Maple Ridge Municipal Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Road, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Ian Brooks, Acting Chair Councillor Cheryl Ashlie Alex Bodden, Staff Sgt. lneke Boekhorst Gwen Champagne Kathie Chiu Katrina Elliot Candace Gordon Mike Huber Councillor Linda King Betty Levens Joshua Leyenhorst Paul Livingstone Connie Schmid Valerie Spurrell Eleanor Palis STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Sue Wheeler Lynn Marchand Shawn Matthewson Mike Murray GUESTS Sheila McLaughlin REGRETS/ABSENTS Caroline Wilkin Christine DiGiamberardine Lynn Guest Lyn Taylor-Scott Community at Large Council Liaison RCMP Business Improvement Association Community Living BC Community at Large Community at Large Ridge Meadows Child, Youth & Family Network School Trustee, School District No. 42 Council Liaison Ridge Meadows Seniors Society Community at Large Community at Large Ridge Meadows Seniors Society Fraser Health School Trustee, School District No. 42 (Alternate) Director of Community Services Committee Clerk Community Services GM, Community Development, Parks & Recreation Alouette Home Start Society Ministry of Children and Family Development Neighbourhood Development Coordinator, P&LS Fraser Health, Alternate Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living Note: Councillor Linda King was not present at the commencement of the meeting. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 1 ofB Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 1. Call to Order and Introductions The meeting was called to order 7:08 p.m. 2. Agenda Approval R09-005 Motion was moved and seconded That the Agenda for March 4, 2009 be adopted as presented 3. Minutes of February 4, 2009 Meeting R09-006 Motion was moved and seconded CARRIED That the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of February 4, 2009 be adopted with the following change: On Pg. 6, under Lynn Guest pg. 6 -delete the word "psychology" and replace with the word "psychiatry". CARRIED 4. Delegations & Presentations Note: Item 4 was dealt with after Item 5. 4.1 Alouette Home Start Society; Supportive Housing Project; Sheila McLaughlin Ms. McLaughlin provided an overview of the formation of the Society and the work that has been done to date. Currently, the Society operates the Iron Horse Youth Safe House and Community Outreach programs. Ms. McLaughlin described the need for a community to view housing needs through a complete housing continuum. Stages along the continuum include: Emergency Shelters, Supportive Housing, Affordable Rental Housing, and Market Housing. The Supportive Housing stage includes housing ranging from transitional support in group home settings to independent Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 2 of 7 ) Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 supportive living. The goal of the Society has continued to be to address the needs and gaps in the housing continuum in this community. Ms. McLaughlin advised that although our community has gaps all along the continuum, the Society worked with community partners to identify the current highest priority as need for supportive independent living units. The proposed project to develop approximately 40 independent supportive units is through an agreement between BC Housing and the District of Maple Ridge with Alouette Home Start Society named as the project operator. BC Housing's commitment includes the capital dollars to develop the project and operational dollars which include funding for 24/7 on site supervision and support for residents. The municipal contribution includes a long term lease of municipal property. The project will be subject to a public hearing process which is scheduled to take place later this year. If the project is approved, it is expected to be complete in 2011 and will provide housing for single residents with low incomes that require support to live independently and are referred primarily through local agencies. Sheila McLaughlin left the meeting at 8:20 p.m. 5. Unfinished & New Business 5.1 SPAC -Election of Chair/Co-Chair Sue Wheeler advised of the process with respect to the election of the Chair and Co-Chair of the Social Planning Advisory Committee and called for nominations for the position of Chair. R09-007 Motion was moved and seconded That Ian Brooks be appointed Chair for the Social Planning Advisory Committee for the year 2009 CARRIED Sue Wheeler called for nominations for Co-Chair of the Social Planning Advisory Committee. R09-008 Motion was moved and seconded That Joshua Leyenhorst be appointed Co-Chair for the Social Planning Advisory Committee for the year 2009 CARRIED Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 3 of7 Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 5.2 Proposed 2009 SPAC Committee Budget Sue Wheeler circulated the Proposed 2009 Budget and provided an overview. Ms. Wheeler advised that the proposed budget includes carry forward dollars from 2008 in the amount of $11,400.00 which is pending approval. Ms. Wheeler advised that the proposal includes approved funds allocated to the Committee for 2009 in the amount of $10,000.00. R09-009 Motion was moved and seconded That the Social Planning Advisory Committee Proposed 2009 Budget be adopted as circulated CARRIED 5.3 United Way of the Lower Mainland Committee Participation Ms. Gordon, CYFN Chair, provided an overview of the United Way and their significant contributions over the years to the development of a strong social services network. Ms. Gordon advised that having a collaborative network strengthens services for citizens on many levels. Through collaborative processes, the network accessed approximately $1.7 million dollars this year to address community need priorities. This amount has been climbing over the past several years. Ms. Gordon pointed out that the role that United Way has played in the development of the network should be recognized. In addition, concern was noted regarding the current lack of United Way representation at local tables. It was agreed that a letter of appreciation should be sent to United Way providing specific examples of the positive impact that their past involvement has resulted in and indicating the importance of their organization being involved in our communities. R09-010 Motion was moved and seconded That staff draft a letter to the United Way which is to include an invitation to attend a future meeting, and further, That staff send the letter to Maple Ridge Council for endorsement. Councillor Linda King arrived at the meeting at 7:28 p.m. Mike Huber left the meeting at 7:43 p.m. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes CARRIED Page 4 of 7 ) Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 6 COMMITTEE UPDATES 6.1 Child, Youth & Family Network (CYFN) Updates: Candace Gordon advised that CYFN is continuing to work on the development of the 2009 strategic plan. Ms. Gordon further advised that funding has been received from the United Way for the Middle Childhood Matters (6-12 year old focus) Committee. The funding will enable our communities to build capacity and collaboration around the services for this age group. The Committee is currently embarking on a strategic planning process. Ms. Gordon provided an overview of the very successful Substance Effective Workshop hosted by the CYFN Substance Misuse Prevention Committee in which over 35 different agencies participated in recently. 6.2 School Community Connections Project -Update Sue Wheeler provided an update on the School Community Connections project and advised that renovations at Eric Langton School are nearing completion. The neighbourhood consultation process is ongoing with stakeholder focus groups scheduled later this month. In May a workshop will be held with service providers to develop an action plan to address the priority needs identified through the consultation processes. A more detailed report will be provided in June. 6.3 Building Community Solutions Project Shawn Matthewson advised that the Haney Farmer's Market is preparing for a busy season beginning in April as they have secured additional funding allowing them to hire, for the first time, a Market Manager. They are expecting to experience significant growth with this additional resource. Ms. Matthewson gave an overview of the process for the joint project between the Building Community Solutions Committee and SPAC to update the Community Indicator Profile. To reflect community changes in trends and priorities an additional 8 indicators have been added to the report. This document, which will be published later this spring, will be utilized in establishing priorities for the SPAC Strategic Plan next fall. 6.4 Neighbourhood School Garden Shawn Matthewson provided an overview of the Neighbourhood School Garden project and advised that the second school garden at Blue Mountain Elementary Garden is progressing successfully. Ms. Matthewson advised that the neighbourhood involvement in the garden at Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 5 ofl Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 Glenwood Elementary continues to grow and add to the sustainability of the project with a local resident taking on the role of Volunteer Garden Coordinator. The goal to encourage gardens at all elementary schools continues to be recognized with the recent news that the Kiwanis Club has agreed to support the development of another new garden at Mount Crescent Elementary. 7. ROUND TABLE Kathie Chu Ms. Chiu reported a successful Caring Place Volunteer Appreciation dinner with over 100 attendees. Ms. Chiu advised that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of meals per month (7,000 meals) being served at the Caring Place. Gwen Champagne Ms. Champagne advised of a workshop, "Life After High School, Transition Planning Fair" which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24th, from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Thomas Haney Rotunda. Ms. Champagne circulated a flyer of the event for perusal. Joshua Leyenhorst Mr. Leyenhorst provided further suggestions for the letter to the United Way. Staff Sgt. Alex Bodden Staff Sgt. Bodden shared that the family of Inspector Wakely were very moved by the memorial service and very thankful to the community. He advised that the RCMP is currently considering re-establishing the leadership roles within the local detachment. Betty Levens Ms. Levens provided an overview of Cythera Society's 25 Year Anniversary event and advised that the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society is preparing to celebrate it's 10th anniversary. lneke Boekhorst Ms. Boekhorst gave an update on the progress of the Business Improvement Association (BIA) and advised that the Mayor and Council attended the February BIA Open House and that there was a very good discussion that took place. Ms. Boekhorst advised that the updates to the Wallet Resource Guide are underway and one more sponsor is being sought. She further advised of the 100 Days to the Disability Games event taking place on April 17th. Councillor Linda King Councillor King provided an overview of the Fraser Valley Regional Library Strategic Planning session. She indicated SPAC may want to consider inviting the Library Manager to present the plan at a future meeting. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 6 of 7 ) Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -March 4, 2009 Shawn Matthewson Ms. Matthewson advised that the School District, on behalf of the community, has submitted a funding application to develop three more Strong Start Centres. Centres currently operate at Eric Langton Elementary, Hammond Elementary and Glenwood Elementary. The proposed locations are Riverside Elementary, Harry Hooge Elementary and Highland Park Elementary. Ms. Matthewson further advised that the CYFN Early Childhood Development Committee has received United Way Going Places funding to help address barriers to participation. The Parks & Leisure Services Spring Program Guide is out and provided an overview of some of the programs being offered during spring break. Sue Wheeler Ms. Wheeler advised that she met with Dave Spears of the Alouette Home Start Society who reported a growing increase in the number of individuals that are at-risk of homelessness that are requiring support. Ms. Wheeler advised that the Friends in Need Food Bank is also reporting an increase in numbers with 2,000 children under the age of 12 now registered. Jan Brooks Mr. Brooks expressed his thanks to the Committee for the nomination of Chair. 8. CORRESPONDENCE 8.1 Techsoup Canada -www.techsoupcanada.ca 8.2 Community Partnerships Help Launch Streetohome Foundation www.streetohome.org 8.3 2009 Youth Court Committee Conference 8.4 News Release, March 3, 2009-03-20 "Lead Identified for Homelessness Intervention Project" 9. Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 7:00 p.m. Blaney Room, Maple Ridge Municipal Hall Location: 10. Adjournment -9:04 pm Chai~ /Im Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 7 of?