Spectrum Newsletter 2010 - City of Brantford

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SPECTRUMWINSTON COURTCOMMUNITY KITCHENBy Christina HipkinWhat is an idea? It’s a thought, a conception or a notion and the willingness to act upon thisnotion. This is how wonderful programs begin and grow into wonderful supportive programs.Community Kitchen is a growingprogram and is helping many individualsacross Canada.You may wonder, what is a CommunityKitchen? It is a facilitatedcommunity-based program wheresmall groups of people gathertogether to prepare and share a mealwith the other group members or totake home to enjoy with their families.Not only are they preparingand eating a nutritious meal, theyare socializing with each other ina cooperative environment, whilelearning new skills and decreasingisolation for many.Winston Court Fellowship meetingsare the heart of this idea. Thesemeetings started a few years agoand at that time consisted of verysmall gatherings. Some residentsmay have attended the meetings,skeptical about the providers inattendance and some may have satin judgement of others in regards totheir situation, but this is no longerthe case. The Community providers,which consist of the HousingDepartment, Canadian MentalHealth, Ontario Works/ AddictionServices, and St. Leonard’s CommunityServices set aside the timeto listen and get to know the peoplewho attend the meetings. You donot end up wanting to help theseindividuals for yourself, for yourimage or for the other providers, butrather because they are people whohave wonderful stories to tell andmany ideas to share. The skills thatthese community partners sharehave developed trust and allowedmany access to our communitysupports. The increase in attendancehas been a real reflection ofthe good work that they do.Throughout time, these meetingshave generated many creativeprogram ideas, but what betterway to bring a group together thansharing a meal. When you thinkback to your childhood, many ofus have fond memories of preparingand sharing a meal with ourfamilies and friends. Why? Becauseit allowed us to sit down, relaxand share our thoughts and eventsof the day, while enjoying a homecookedmeal. While the residents ofWinston Court may not be biologicalfamily, they are, in many ways,family. I have had the pleasure ofwatching many residents, who havetheir own struggles in life, ensurethat residents have food to eat andthat their needs are being met. Tome this is what family is all about.After countless hours of researching,planning and observing otherCommunity Kitchens, a fundingproposal was submitted in partnershipwith Community ResourceEmployment Service, CanadianMental Health and Brant CountyHealth Unit. These communityproviders have offered many supportsto this initiative and we areall so thankful for their supportThroughout time, these meetings have generated many creativeprogram ideas, but what better way to bring a group togetherthen sharing a meal.and food donations. The proposalwas submitted to Campbell’sCanada on behalf of CommunityResource Employment Service andwas approved to purchase stapleitems and food items to ensure thekitchen would succeed.Our first Community Kitchenbegan February 11th, 2010 and weare all very excited about this initiative.I believe this program willbe a great success and the residentsof Winston Court will benefit in somany ways.After all… is there any better wayto bring people together for fellowship,then preparing and enjoying ahome-cooked meal?6
SPECTRUMBRIEFINGS &PROGRAM UPDATESAbout SHRRPIn March 2009, the Federal and Provincial governmentsannounced that $704 million dollarswould be committed to repair social housing unitsand make them more energy efficient under theSocial Housing Renovation and Retrofit Program(SHRRP). This investment will provide economicstimulus in Ontario, while also improving thehealth and safety of residents living in social housingcommunities, and contributing to the reductionof social housing project operating costs.In our service area of Brantford and Brant County,we received an allocation of $4.7 million dollars,which has been distributed amongst 12 housingproviders. Providers have submitted requests tothe Service Manager (the City) for work that isneeded at their housing projects. Some of this workincluded new roofs, replacing furnaces with hi-efficiencymodels, replacing appliances with energyefficient appliances, replacement of windows, andreplacing toilets with low flush models.B-HOME ReturnsWhat if owning your own home was within reach?What if turning your rent payments into mortgagepayments could be a reality?In the lst round of B-HOME wewere able to provide down paymentassistance to 84 households to purchasetheir first home.In partnership with the Government of Canada,the Province of Ontario, the City of Brantford andthe County of Brant, the B-Home (Brantford HomeOwnership Made Easier) Program has been developedto assist low to moderate income earners realizethe dream of owning their own home. 5% ofthe cost of an eligible home is provided to eligiblepurchasers at the time of closing of the purchaseand sale of the home.Register for our upcoming training and informationsession as outlined below.Above: New balconies at Albion TowersBelow: New windows at Russell Heights, St. GeorgeRegistration Information▪ Tuesday, April 13th▪ 6:00- 9:00 p.m.▪ TB Costain – SC Johnson CommunityCentre▪ 12 Morrell Street, Brantford▪ For more info or to RSVP, call 519-759-3330, x6336 or email bhome@brantford.ca7
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Spectrum Newsletter 2010 - City of Brantford

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