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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPAC 2009-09-09 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, September 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Ian Brooks, Chair Councillor Cheryl Ashlie Councillor Linda King Gwen Champagne Joshua Leyenhorst Valerie Spurrell Kathie Chiu Ernie Beaudin Paul Livingstone Alex Bodden, Staff Sgt. Candace Gordon STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Kelly Swift Sue Wheeler Tracy Camire REGRETS/ABSENTS Betty Levens Katrina Elliot I neke Boekhorst Conn ie Schmid Caroline Wilkin Mike Huber Eleanor Palis Lyn Taylor-Scott 1. Call to Order and Introductions Community at Large Council Liaison Council Liaison Community Living BC Community at Large Fraser Health Community at Large Business Improvement Association Community at Large RCMP Ridge Meadows Child, Youth & Family Network Director of Recreation Director of Community Services Committee Clerk Ridge Meadows Seniors Society Community at Large Business Improvement Association Ridge Meadows Seniors Society Ministry of Children and Family Development School Trustee, School District No. 42 School Trustee (alternate), School District No. 42 Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living The meeting was called to order 7:09 p.m. 2. Agenda Approval 0 R09-023 Motion was moved and seconded Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 1 of 7 • Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 That the Agenda for September 9, 2009 be adopted with the following changes: Items 5.1, 5.4, 6.2 and 6.4 will be deferred to the October 2009 meeting CARRIED 3. Minutes of July 8, 2009 Meeting R09-024 Motion was moved and seconded That the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of July 8, 2009 be adopted as circulated CARRIED The Committee discussed the recent passing of Shawn Mathewson's husband and discussed making a donation to the memorial tree that the Parks Department will be purchasing in his honour. R09-025 Motion was moved and seconded That the Social Planning Advisory Committee will donate an amount that would usually be spent on sending flowers, up to a maximum of $100, towards a memorial tree in honour of Shawn Matthewson's husband. CARRIED 4. Delegations & Presentations -Nil 5. Unfinished & New Business 5.1 Fraser Health Budget 2010: Implications for the Community -Andy Libbiter and Valerie Spurre/1 -deferred to the October 2009 meeting. 5.2 Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness -Governance Model Discussion Sue Wheeler advised the Committee that the role of the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness is to encourage a regional perspective on Homelessness. The work of this Committee is guided by the adopted Regional Plan, 3 ways to home which notes that homelessness is complex and all solutions need to address; income, housing and support services. Ms. Wheeler also noted that Service Canada's administration of funding under the Homelessness Partnership Initiatives program relies on the regional recommendations to guide the development of priorities which determine how the funds will be distributed. Ms. Wheeler also advised that Service Canada is suggesting that the Committee consider a different governance model called Community Entity Model. Ms. Wheeler described the differences between the current model, a Shared Delivery Model, and the recommended Community Entity Model. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 2 of 7 ) Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 The Committee discussed the benefits of the two models. It was determined that more information is needed regarding the Community Entity Model, specifically regarding implications for membership, roles, and decision making. Ms. Wheeler will continue to update the Committee on the decision-making process. Please note that Item 5.5, 5.6 and 5. 7 were dealt with prior to Item 5.3 5.3 Homelessness Action Week 2009 -October 11 -17th (www.stophomelessness.ca ): R09-026 Sue reviewed the history of the Homelessness Action Week with the Committee. 5.3.1 Speak up for Affordable Housing Campaign Sue Wheeler advised that she received a communication noting that this year they are running a campaign called "Speak up for Affordable Housing" and are looking for people that would like to speak as champions, asking organizations to write letters of support (review Item 5.3.1 attached to agenda) Motion was moved and seconded That the Social Planning Advisory Committee follow through with the request from Helesia Luke and Catherine Evans to provide name, logo and quote supporting the goal of establishing a national housing strategy and forward this request on to Maple Ridge Council. CARRIED 5.3.2 October 16th Local Chilli Harvest Event Sue Wheeler advised that the local Homelessness Action Week Committee has been working to plan for this years, "Harvest Chili" annual event on Friday, October 16th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Jenstar Theatre in the ACT. SPAC has made a commitment to provide funding to this annual event once again. This year's event will build on the successes of last year, with individuals who are homeless being invited to visit the Caring Place in the morning where a large group of volunteers will be ready to give them make-over's (showers, hair cuts, make-up, nails, shaves, and fresh clothes). Then the Youth Bus will shuttle participants to the ACT where local leaders will be invited to serve the Chilli Lunch. The chilli lunch is prepared by the Caring Place with donations from local service agencies which symbolizes everyone working together to find the solutions to homelessness. Last year over 200 people participated in the lunch, and many comments were made about how people felt cared for and how good it felt to be a part of this incredible community. 5.4 Healthy Communities Initiative -Fraser Health -deferred Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 3 of 7 Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 5.5 Alouette Home Start Society's Supportive Housing Project Update Sue Wheeler gave an update on the Alouette Home Start Society's Supportive Housing Project which has been moving forward. Ms. Wheeler advised that the Rezoning Application will go to Public Hearing on October 20th at 7:00 p.m. and then Council will have second and third readings on October 22nd. 1ACTIQN IT~M That Sheila McLaughlin from AHSS be invited to the November SPAC meeting to give an update on the project's progress. 5.6 Snapshot 2009: Community Profile Sue Wheeler gave an update regarding the Community Network's intention to officially release the "Snapshot 2009: Community Profile" to the public at the Resource Fair on October 17th. This document is an update of the 2002 Snapshot which was utilized to determine the community priorities at that time: poverty, youth and neighbourhood connectedness. The new document provides a comparison on the majority of the same indicators to provide us with the ability to note changes, trends, and the impact of focused initiatives over time. In addition the 2009 Snapshot includes about 8 new indicators designed to reflect the changes in community issues over time. Ms. Wheeler also advised that this document will be launched A'Q1J9"1iJ!f:M: Committee Clerk to add this file to the Social Planning Advisory Committee's webpage. 5. 7 SPAC Business Planning 2010-Meeting Date Sue Wheeler reminded the Committee that the Business Plan developed last year was a three year plan, ending in 2011 and will require an update to be forwarded to Council for approval. The Committee reviewed the agenda items for the October meeting and whether a separate meeting should be held to discuss the business plan. It was agreed that the October 6th, 2009 meeting begin one hour early, at 6:00 p.m., and that Fraser Health be asked to make their presentation at that time with a brief meeting to follow. This would allow the bulk of the time to be spend on the Business Plan update. Please note that Items 6.3, 6.5.1 and 6.5.2 were dealt with prior to Item 6.1 6 COMMITTEE UPDATES 6.1 Community Network (Formerly CYFN) Update Sue Wheeler advised the Committee that the Community Network has hired a new coordinator, Danielle Levine. Ms. Wheeler also noted that the Network met for their first meeting after the summer break and had a great turnout. During the roundtable discussion it was clear that poverty appears to be a growing issue in the community, with the Caring Place now feeding close to 200 people for daily supper, the Food Bank numbers continuing to grow, and Outreach Workers indicating a growing number of Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 4 of 7 Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 individuals (especially seniors) that are homeless or at risk of homelessness, not due to mental health issues or addictions, but as a result of poverty. Candace Gordon joined the meeting at 8:34 pm Candace Gordon reviewed the current provincial funding cuts that have recently taken place. Ms. Gordon advised that the Network will attempt to track, analyze, and report out on the impacts this funding changes are having on the community. The work that happens at this table and the Community Network is going to be crucial in the next year to support the community. There was discussion regarding the need to share the impacts from a cost analysis perspective whenever this information is available (ie cost of supporting seniors to live independently is more cost effective than hospitalizing seniors that don't have home support to recover). 6.2 SPAC Spirit of Community Awards -deferred 6.3 School Community Connections Project Update Sue Wheeler advised the Committee that the work to build this project is coming to a close as all upgrades are nearing completion and scheduling activities is the next goal and the official opening is going to be in late October. Ms. Wheeler noted that there has been a challenge as a lot of the services that came through the needs assessment are related to enrichment type programs and a lot of the families cannot pay for these programs. 6.4 School Neighbourhood Gardens Update -deferred 6.5 Building Community Solutions Project 6.5.1 Seed Grants Report Sue Wheeler gave an update on the Seed Grants that continue to be popular and very well received within the community. She also advised that the Building Community Solution project continues to look for funding to extend the project past the end of the year. 6.5.2 Haney Farmers Market Update Sue Wheeler gave an update on the Haney Farmers Market and advised that two Market Managers were hired this year to guide the Market and as a result the growth has been phenomenal. Ian Brooks advised the Committee that the Port Coquitlam Farmer's Market hired our local Farmer's Market to help them set up their weeknight Markets and this has been a great opportunity to share knowledge and resources. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 5 of7 Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 7. ROUND TABLE Councillor Cheryl Ashlie Attended the Substance Misuse Prevention Committee meeting where a good conversation took place. Councillor Ashlie also talked about Seniors and substance related issues that are starting to show up in our hospitals. Councillor Ashlie noted that Marika Sandrelli has met with the Senior's Networking table to discuss how to better educate seniors, working with seniors and providing better support for seniors. Councillor Ashlie also advised the Committee that NAAW (National Addiction Awareness Week) is coming up and the SMPC needs to brainstorm on how we really put out to the public awareness around the 33 indicators, where we are, what we've done with them. Kathie Chui Kathie Chui advised the Committee that she has recently returned to work and also noted that she has been a caretaker for her Mother who recently had a stroke. Ernie Beaudin President of the BIA noted that the Annual General Meeting for the BIA is happening in six weeks and a task will be to evaluate their resources to determine which community Committees the BIA will have a representative at each month. Paul Livingstone Paul indicated that his life has been busy with the responsibilities of being a Grandfather. He shared a special family story with the Committee. Alex Bodden Alex Bodden advised the Committee that he is currently putting together a Crisis Intervention team made up of front line mental health, addiction and homelessness providers that we come into contact within the community. First meeting is on October 1st. Training package is being put together for the new front line staff RCMP. Decreasing community crime rate (3rd year in a row) and will have statistics at the next meeting. Kelly Swift Kelly Swift advised the Committee that Recreation Services continue to have high participation rates with no drops and also noted that there is a staff position that supports people with mental health issues to participate in recreation programs which has been renewed. Ms. Swift also noted that Parks is working with the sport community more in the past year to put together a Sports Council that will have the goal of creating a collaborative network. Recreation services will be working closely with the Community Networks initiatives to target resources based on neighbourhood need. Joshua Leyenhorst It was confirmed that the Iron Workers Safe Youth House's lease extension was granted for another five years. Mr. Leyenhorst also let the Committee know that his wife had a baby boy on August 18th named Jacob. Gwen Champagne Gwen Champagne advised the Committee that it has been confirmed that Community Living BC will be going through a restructure and the Child and Adult services will be splitting apart and Child Services will go back to Ministry of Child and Family Services and it is likely that Adult services will be delivered from a regional model. There are a lot of questions regarding how the systems will function under the restructuring. Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 6 of 7 ) Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes -September 9, 2009 Candace Gordon Candace Gordon gave an update on the last Food Security meeting. Ms. Gordon also noted that the committee plan to publish a "Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Survival Guide" that will provide resources on where to receive free food within our communities. Candace Gordon also commended the BIA on their work and noted how important it is that they are a member of the Social Planning Advisory Committee. 8. CORRESPONDENCE 9. 10. 8.1 BC Medical Association's Facebook campaign on addictions -please see link below Is addiction a disease or a human failure? 8.2 More homeless on Abbotsford streets -http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/50068867.html 8.3 Addicts deserve medical care, BC's top health officer says -please see link below http://www. ti mes colonist. com/news/Addicts +des e rve+med ica I +ca re+hea Ith +officer+says/17 73899/story. htm I 8.4 Heritage Here Summer 2009 Newsletter (copies available at the SPAC meeting) These items were received as information. Next Meeting: Agenda Deadline: Location: Adjournment - Wednesday, October 7, 2009 -6:00 p.m. Monday, September 21, 2009 Blaney Room, Maple Ridge Municipal Hall 9:15 p.m. C~erson /tc Social Planning Advisory Committee Regular Minutes Page 7 of 7