Report To: - District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Board

Issue Report Template
Report To:
From:
Jeff Barban, general Manager of SSMHC
Date:
Re:
Community Hub Funding
RECOMMENDATION
To provide the balance of funding, $19,171.18 (see attached budget sheet submitted by
the YMCA Addendum 1) , required to operate the 4 Sault Ste. Marie Housing
Corporation(SSMHC) Community Hubs with full time hours from July 2013 to December
2013.
REPORT
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide short term funding for 2013 to establish full time
programing in all 4 community Hubs for the remainder of 2013. This will allow the
SSMHC to study the benefits of continuous uninterrupted programming in all 4 hubs to
prepare a request for full funding for 2014 under the assumption 2013 proves very
successful.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
The overall goal of all programs and initiatives offered by the Sault Ste. Marie Housing
Corporation is TO BUILD HEALTHIER HOUSING COMMUNITIES.
Healthier housing communities translates into:
Reduction of arrears
Decrease move-outs,
Decrease arrears levels
COMMUNITY HUBS
In 2005, the SSM Housing Corporation developed a partnership with the Children’s Aid
Society to increase awareness of healthy families, successful parenting and
neighbourhood pride in the community; the Family Preservation Program was the
primary contact through CAS. The partners secured the use of a unit in the

Chapple/Albion family housing community to serve as a base for programming, the start
of the Community Corner. The initial benefits of the site began to materialize and the
decision was made to expand programming to another high risk neighbourhood so
programming began at Second Line West. In June 2006, expansion occurred with the
addition of a Boston Avenue Hub and in September 2008, a fourth site opened in the
Hamilton Heights neighbourhood, Crawford Hub.
The original project objectives were to enhance parental skill development, stabilize
families in safe, affordable housing, improve community pride, increase community
involvement and address the oppressive issue of child and family poverty. The goal is to
provide a “homey, welcoming, nurturing environment to offer services and programs to
vulnerable, isolated and high-risk families.”
The Sault Ste. Marie YMCA became our partnering agency in 2011. The YMCA brings
its experience in offering basic employment, social and recreational services to the hub
communities. Sessions on job searching, resume writing, interview strategies along with
strategies for parents to increase the educational opportunities available for their
children were presented in a familiar, non-threatening neighbourhood environment.
Programming also continues to focus on mental health, substance abuse, youth,
domestic violence and Aboriginal persons.
The current after school program run by the YMCA to help children with homework has
been extremely successful with many sites seeing over 15 children attending on a
regular basis.
The following SSMHC programs also work out of the hubs which have benefited in
increased attendance;
KIDS BEING KIDS PROGRAM
Kids Being Kids is a program offered to families who reside in units owned by the
Housing Corporation - specifically, our program takes place on Adrian Drive (26 units),
Boston Avenue (30 units), Shannon/Capp (24 units), Chapple/Albion (55 units) and
Second Line West (54 units). This program provides 14 summer students with the
opportunity to gain valuable employment experience which often compliments their field
of study.
The principle goal of the Kids Being Kids Program is to provide a sense of community to
families residing in units owned by the Sault Ste. Marie Housing Corporation through
various recreational activities and programs.
Kids Being Kids helps to improve the quality of life within our family communities by
giving families (especially children) the opportunity to be involved in activities they would
not otherwise be able to pursue. Many organized recreation programs are often too
expensive and may not be accessible for these families.

KBK strives to be more than purely a recreation program. While recreational activities
are still a major component of the program, the activities are geared to building a sense
of pride in participants as well as the community in which they live. Examples of this
include our participation in the Allard Street Community Garden, Body Boosters
Program (breakfast program followed by exercises), and After School Program – to
name just a few.
Kids Being Kids normally runs during the months of June, July and August , five days a
week, 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. The activities are mainly directed to children aged 6-14
years. Traditional on-site activities include: outdoor sports, small group games, arts &
crafts, sing songs and storytelling. In addition, off-site activities such as beach days,
camping excursions, and various tours also take place during the summer months.
There is also an educational component to the program including a gardening program,
and various presentations by community agencies.
SAFE NEIGHBOURHOODS PROGRAM
This program is a partnership between the Sault Ste. Marie Housing Corporation, Sault
Police Services, and tenants, to foster safety in neighborhoods and make it a better
place to live and play. This program continues to be promoted on a regular basis by
having regular meetings in each of the housing communities.
Other Partners Programing from the Community Hubs:
Agency
Breton House
Women In Crisis
John Howard Society
Childcare Algoma
Algoma Public Health
Credit Counseling
Algoma Family Services
Employment Solutions
Ontario Works
Group Health Centre
SSM Police Services
Children’s Aid Society
Programing
Issues relating to Domestic violence
Domestic Violence
Social Skills Work Shops
1-2-3 Literacy
Health Related Issues
Budgeting
Child & Family Programs
Resume Workshops
Employment Unit
HIV/HEPC Program
Safe Neighbourhood Program
Refer parents for onsite programing
CONCLUSION
In conclusion I am requesting for the District of Sault Ste. Marie Area Services Board to
provide the requested funding to our partnering agency the YMCA for the remainder of
2013. It is believed by both by the YMCA and the Housing Operations Staff of the City
of Sault Ste. Marie that this funding will greatly increase the effectiveness of the
Community Hubs in our neighbour hoods by providing the means to ensure a consistent
presence within the hubs.