No more status quo solutions!
SDC invites you to join community organizers, service providers, and elected officials on March 9 for an evening of learning and advocacy around homelessness and housing policy. The purpose of Hope for Ending Homelessness - A Community Dialogue" is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to build a shared understanding - of the issues, potential solutions, and the support that's needed from all levels of government to address this crisis.
SDC is thrilled to receive funding from Region of Waterloo to continue delivering two critical programs as part of the Region's Plan to End Chronic Homelessness:
Read the full media release here.
Do the values of the Social Development Centre (SDC) resonate with you? Come and join our team! We are recruiting for the position of a Part-Time Bookkeeper who will be responsible for supporting (with the potential to eventually manage) the day-to-day accounting responsibilities for SDC.
If interested, please review the job posting for more details and apply by February 16, 2024. Not having all the listed skills and qualifications should not in and of itself exclude you from submitting an application. SDC is committed to hiring people with diverse abilities and backgrounds.
Our ED, Aleksandra Petrovic, is on sabbatical
After nearly a decade at SDC, Aleks is taking a well-deserved break. We feel her absence every day, but hope you'll join us in wishing Aleks the very best as she takes this time away to focus on herself.
Who to contact in Aleks' absence
There's no denying we have some very big shoes to fill. But just over a year ago, Aleks transitioned SDC to a Distributed Leadership model, where ED functions such as liaising with the Board, and guiding the mission and vision of the organization, were shared across multiple roles. With Aleks on sabbatical, the Distributed Leadership Team will fully assume all of her former responsibilities...
Thanks to O:se Kenhionhata:tie, the "Falling Through the Cracks" photo exhibit will be at Willow River Centre throughout January - March, 2024! Developed as part of a research project undertaken by Wilfrid Laurier University and members of the Lived Expertise Working Group (LEWG), the exhibit provides an opportunity to discover the powerful perspectives and voices of displacement in Waterloo Region.
Office Closure:
The SDC office will be closed Monday, December 18, 2023 to Tuesday, January 2, 2024 to give our team a chance to rest, reflect, and recharge for the new year.
Staff Development Days:
Our team will be back at work on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, but you may experience slower response times as we take part in staff development sessions January 2 - 5, 2024. We thank you in advance for your patience as we do our best to get back to you in a timely way!
We hope this holiday season brings you rest, warmth, and care - and all the very best in the new year.
We are thrilled to partner with Waterloo Public Library (WPL) to have an Eviction Prevention Peer Worker on-site at the Main Library every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm.
The peer worker can be found on the upper level at the desk beside the non-fiction large print books. Please ask staff at the Information Desk if you need help locating the Eviction Prevention Peer Worker.
The success stories are gradually multiplying as the awareness, partnerships and tenant capacity building to challenge evictions spread across the three cities. Read the six month report, April to September 2023, explore the case studies and internal evolution of the team, now including a Tenant Organizing Peer Worker. Get in touch with our team, as they learn and evolve the ways to walk alongside tenants in their struggles to ensure their right to home. We are happy to let you know also that Waterloo Region ACORN, the newly formed Tenant Union, is hosting meetings and organizing in the Civic Hub.
The time does fly when you are having fun! Thirty years ago, we were sent on a mission to support neighbourhood connections because of our differences and diversity. There were years when we registered over 170 activities hosted by neighbours for neighbours and invited 70 neighbourhoods to the Annual Celebration. You still have time until All Hallow’s Eve by midnight to register your gathering and make sure your neighbourhood is eligible for a draw for $20,000 for a Capital Improvement Grant with the City of Kitchener!
Projects you may want to seek funding for could include murals, permanent outdoor equipment and furniture, improvement to green spaces, community gardens and many more creative possibilities that required ongoing permanent structures.
Those who register their inclusive gatherings with the Festival must attend the celebration to have your ballot entered for the capital grant. All curious and neighbourly people are still invited to have fun and celebrate our anniversary. R.S.V.P. to attend this year's celebration until November 15th.
The Social Planning Network has partnered with the University of Waterloo and Social Development Centre Waterloo Region to support four regional social planning councils (Kingston and District, Oxford County, York Region, and Cornwall and Area) in advancing advocacy to counter tenant evictions and displacement in communities across Ontario. The report "Many Faces of Urban and Rural Displacement" study is available with the recommendations that will guide our collective responses by filling gaps in lived experience leadership.
"Through detailed studies of each region and its tenants’ experiences, we found that despite different built forms, demographics, local economies, population densities, and vacancy rates, tenants across Ontario had a shared experience of displacement. Tenants explained how tactics were used to push them out, and discussed the lasting impact of displacement and the necessity of change." SPNO (spno.ca), October 2023
© Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
23 Water St N, Kitchener, ON Canada N2H 5A4
519-579-3800 | 1-877-579-3859 | sdcwr@waterlooregion.org
Charitable Number: 107987166RR0001