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community planning initiatives

The Social Planning program works closely with local community groups – comprised of both funded and non-funded programs – to address the social service issues identified through its research activities.

Below is a description of current community planning projects:

Wellington & Guelph Housing Committee

The Wellington & Guelph Housing Committee is a non-partisan community body providing a local focus for addressing housing and homelessness in Guelph & Wellington. The Committee’s mission is to encourage the development of an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the residents of Guelph & Wellington.

The role of the Committee is to:

  • Provide a forum for the exchange of information and the creation of partnerships among housing and social service providers and funding bodies
  • Identify housing needs, gaps and priorities based on research and community consultations
  • Maintain a Community Plan to address housing and homelessness
  • Review zoning and planning decisions made by local governments in terms of their impact on the supply of affordable housing in Guelph & Wellington
  • Provide education and advocacy about housing issues

Participation in the Committee is open to everyone: landlords and tenants, real estate boards; housing and social service providers, planners, government bodies, and interested community members. The Committee meets the third Thursday of the month from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the County of Wellington Office, 129 Wyndham St. N., Guelph.

See publications for a list of recent reports released by the Wellington & Guelph Housing Committee.

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Report Card on the Well-Being of Children

The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Coalition for a Report Card on the Well-Being of Children was established in 2005. The coalition is committed to raising the profile of children in our communities by examining and reporting on the state of their well-being. The coalition will accomplish this through the development of:

  • Children’s Charter
  • Report Card on the Well-Being of Children
  • Community Engagement

The purpose of this project is to develop a common framework for measuring community trends, strengths and weaknesses. The intention is to go beyond a traditional report card, and to develop a tool that could be used for community engagement and knowledge transfer (i.e. to generate, share and apply knowledge through mutual learning and dialogue).

As part of this project, the Public Health department has developed a system for sharing data among community partners called the Virtual Machine Health Information Sharing Initiative (VMHISI). The VMHISI was developed to support multi-partner projects that involve the collaborative use of a common set of software tools to achieve shared goals and objectives. It reflects a philosophy and approach to cooperation that involves the use of portable and expandable computer technology to support the management and reporting of multiple data sources.

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Kindergarten Parent Survey

In collaboration with the Guelph Community Health Centre, the County of Wellington’s Child Care Services, and the Public Health Department, the United Way of Guelph & Wellington sponsored a Kindergarten Parent Survey. This survey was sent to all parents of children in senior kindergarten in the spring of 2006. The results were compiled by researchers at McMaster University’s Offord Centre of Child Studies, and will be used in conjunction with the Early Development Instrument (EDI) which was completed by teachers in both school boards. The results of this survey will be incorporated in the Report Card on the Well-Being of Children.

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Wellington Developmental Services Planning Group

Since 1987, the Wellington Developmental Services Planning Group has worked to create a local developmental services system which addresses the needs of people with developmental challenges and their families. The planning group exercises its mandate through the exchange of information and provision of mutual support amongst its members. The Group also holds regular planning forums to:

  • identify and address system issues;
  • collect information that reflects current demands for service, utilization of resources and best practices;
  • coordinate and integrate system components;
  • develop system priorities for additional funding (including proposals);
  • and provide system planning advice to other planning bodies, service providers and all levels of government to the benefit of the Developmental Services system.

The United Way is a corresponding member of this group.

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Senior Services Network

The Senior Services Network provides leadership for the improvement of health and long-term care services and supports for older adults in Wellington and Dufferin Counties. The group was established to ensure a comprehensive, system-wide perspective. Members facilitate information sharing and decision-making within their respective organizations in order to implement recommended changes within and between services.

Past accomplishments of the Network include:

  • Developing consultation clinics in Long-Term Care Facilities to access geriatric expertise
  • Advocating for high intensity needs (not only medical supplies but also for challenging care situations) in Long-Term Care Facilities
  • Securing funding for the Elder Abuse Project
  • Sponsoring a two-day education workshop for the Community Consultation Team
  • Advocating for a geriatrician for Wellington-Dufferin and Specialized Geriatric Services Dementia Network

The United Way is a corresponding member of this group.

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Youth Service Providers

The Youth Service Providers come together four times per year to share information, learn about new youth initiatives and discuss challenges. These meetings are open to anyone in the community working with youth. Each meeting highlights one local youth-focused iniative.

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External Funding Review Panels

In 2008-2009, United Way staff led and/or participated on three external funding review committees:

  • City of Guelph’s Community Services Grants - The City of Guelph provides financial assistance to not-for profit community groups and agencies by means of an annual grant program. The United Way is responsible for reviewing grant applications for the Health and Social Services sector, and making recommendations to city council.
  • National Child Benefit (NCB) - Launched in 1998, the NCB is a federal/provincial initiative designed to help prevent and reduce child poverty, promote attachment to the labour market, and reduce overlap and duplication. The federal government provides direct income support through NCB supplements to the Canada Child Tax Benefit. The Ontario government invests in programs and services such as Ontario Early Years Centres and Healthy Babies, Healthy Children. The funding for these programs is generated by deducting the NCB supplements from social assistance. Municipalities share in the savings through these deductions. NCB funding is administered by the County of Wellington.
  • Homelessness Partnership Initiative (HPI) - Launched in 2007, HPI provides project funding to communities to address local priorities related to homelessness. It is administered by Service Canada, as part of the federal government’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) & the United Way manages all administrative & funding responsibilities.

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For more information on community planning initiatives please contact us.
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