The Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition is a network of neighbourhood groups, sponsoring agencies and program partners. Each neighbourhood group operates in an autonomous way at the grass roots level to meet the needs of children, youth and families that have been identified within the neighbourhood. Through the Coalition, the neighbourhood groups bring together their collective resources to share information, provide support, distribute available funding resources and advocate for community issues. Our Vision The Coalition envisions a Guelph community of healthy children, strong families, and vibrant neighbourhoods that embrace diversity, create opportunities, and promote a high quality of life for all. Our Mission The Neighbourhood Support Coalition is a network of neighbourhood and community organizations committed to building and sustaining neighbourhood groups. Our Core Values
• Building Community… we believe in the strength of citizen participation and their ability to build safe, healthy and vibrant Neighbourhoods for all. • Partnership… through community partnerships we can identify valuable resources and become more responsive to community needs. • Inclusive… respect for Neighbourhood diversity helps the Coalition to represent the needs of all citizens. • Resourceful… we embrace responsive and creative solutions to meet community needs. • Healthy Citizens… by investing in the skills and knowledge of our members we will provide opportunities for the personal growth of all citizens. • Trust… we will keep commitments and be dependable, honest, truthful and transparent. • Respect… we treat everyone fairly. • Community Spirit… we promote the enjoyment and celebration of life. Save Community Development Workers!As of March 31, 2010, the Ministry of Children and Youth through Family and Children’s Services will no longer be funding Preventative Support work. This directly impacts the community development workers in the neighbourhood groups and will specifically impact some of Guelph's Neighbourhood Groups by reducing staff. This decision will affect Neighbourhood Groups' involvement in many areas, particularly one-to-one support, clothing closets, food cupboards, holiday hampers, backpack drives, bread programs, and income tax assistance programs. Many Neighbourhood Group community events will also be affected.Here are two very important ways you can help:1. You already know what you want to say? Well then, write your own letter directly to the Minister of Children and Youth – The Honourable Laurel Broten and copy Premier Dalton McGuinty; MPP Liz Sandals; Brad Saunders, Program Supervisor, Ministry of Children and Youth Services; The Honorable Madeleine Meilleur, Ministry of Community and Social Services; The Honorable Deb Mathews, Ministry of Health; and MP Frank Valeriote. Their respective addresses can be found here:The Honourable Laurel Broten Ministry of Children and Youth Services 14th Floor, 56 Wellesley Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S3 Tel – 416 - 212-2278 Fax – 416-212-7431 lbroten.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Premier Dalton McGuinty Room 281, Main Legislative Building Queen’s Park Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1 Tel - 416-325-1941 Fax - 416-325-3745 dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org MPP Liz Sandals 173 Woolwich Street Guelph, ON N1H 3V4 Tel: (519) 836-4190 Fax: (519) 836-4191 lsandals.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Brad Saunders, Program Supervisor Ministry of Children and Youth Services Suite 200 6733 Mississauga Rd Mississauga ON L5N6J5 Tel. 905-567-7177 ext 353 Bradley.Saunders@ontario.ca The Honorable Madeleine Meilleur Ministry of Community and Social Services 6th Floor, Hepburn Block 80 Grosvenor Street Toronto, Ontario M7A 1E9 tel – 416-325-5225, fax 416-325-5191 mmeilleur.mpp@liberal.ola.org The Honorable Deb Mathews Ministry of Health 10th Floor, Hepburn Block 80 Grosvenor Street Toronto, Ontario M7A 2C4 tel – 416-327-4300 Fax – 416-327-3679 dmatthews.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org MP Frank Valeriote 40 Cork Street East Guelph, Ontario N1H 2W8 (519) 837-8276 valeF1@parl.gc.ca 2. Print and mail, or copy and e-mail, the preformatted letter to the Minister below. Please send your correspondance to each of the addresses listed above to maximize the impact and audience of your message. The Honourable Laurel Broten Ministry of Children and Youth Services 14th Floor, 56 Wellesley Street West Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S3 December 15, 2009 Dear Honourable Laurel Broten: Guelph’s Neighbourhood Support Coalition is a network of neighbourhood and community organizations that is committed to building community, strengthening individuals and families, and ensuring healthy growth and development for every child. The neighbourhood groups are funded primarily through the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington, and Family & Children’s Services (also known as the Children’s Aid Society). Currently, your Ministry has cut funding to the Children’s Aid in Guelph so that they are prohibited from funding this program. You have allowed no time for finding other solutions. These unprecedented cuts will have a catastrophic impact on the most vulnerable families and children of Guelph. The people affected most by these cuts describe them as potentially devastating. We are facing the loss of all community development workers resulting in loss of essential support to programs such as our food cupboards, collective kitchens, clothing closets, backpack & winter coat drives, and community building activities that bring people together and build social networks. The community development worker positions that facilitate these activities have been described as “a compass to help navigate the complex social assistance system that many people living in poverty face”. They prevent difficult situations in families from becoming worse leading to child neglect and harm. Last year the Ministry of Children and Youth completed extensive community consultations about poverty after which, you released the Poverty Reduction Strategy. We saw this as a tremendously hopeful policy on the part of your government. As yet, formal Poverty Reduction Strategy activities seem invisible to poor communities in Guelph. The activities that currently exist in the form of neighbourhood groups and are proven effective, are now being cut. This seems very inconsistent with your stated policy on poverty reduction. We are asking you to stand behind your Ministry’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. We are asking for time and an opportunity to work together. We are asking MCYS to consider a schedule of gradual funding reductions over the next two years to ensure continuity of services and allow time to secure alternative funding. When we invest in strong neighbourhoods, everyone shares the dividends. Sincerely, cc: Liz Sandals, MPP Premier Dalton McGuinty Honorable Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services Honourable Deb Mathews, Minister of Health Brad Saunders,Program Supervisor, MCYS Frank Valeriote, MP Emergency Management SurveyNeighbourhood Group leadership teams are currently supporting a research project to investigate the role that Guelph Neighbourhood Groups could play in supporting disaster and emergency management. Those groups interested in participating must first sign and return a research consent form. Groups who have not already completed the survey may do so by clicking here and e-mailing the results to Dave Elloway at dave.elloway@royalroads.ca or printing and returning anonymously to the attention of Cindy Richardson at City Hall.
Meeting Date
Document
Added/Updated
NSC Board Minutes
November 30, 2009
4 pages, 84.5 KB
06 - 12 - 2009
October 26, 2009
5 pages, 78.5 KB
06 - 11 - 2009
For more information, please contact co-chairs Michele Altermann at parkwood.g.n.g@bellnet.ca or Dana Berry-Nagao at hanlon_creek_neighbourhood@yahoo.ca. NSC Organizational Structure (Acrobat PDF, 1 page, 21 KB)Children's Charter of Rights, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph has been adopted by the NSC. We will be working together with the community to meet these values! Click here to see the full charter.
