City Council Agenda - November 26, 2012 - City of Guelph

An online survey reached 128 additional community members and allowed them tocontribute their thoughts and ideas. In the interests of transparency andaccountability, the community was engaged a second time to provide a follow-up onthe progress of the project and a summary of findings from the consultation phase.Three feedback sessions were held; one each for the public, service providers, andCity staff.Summary of Consultations and FeedbackMany people talked about the City as being a great place to live, with manyopportunities to be actively involved. Some of the positive examples of servicesthat are appreciated by seniors of Guelph are:oooooooooParks, trails, and recreation opportunitiesSnow Angels programAffordable bus passBike pathsVolunteer cultureEvergreen Seniors’ Centre and the partnering community supportservicesCity staff are generally considered to be responsiveMany good partnershipsOlder Adults Generally feel included and engagedSome of the challenges and barriers faced by seniors are:ooooooooooooChanging diversity of the community represents a corresponding needfor greater awareness of cultural, language and functional challengesfacing seniorsService inequities that are geographically drivenIncome inequity and low income challengesTransit and mobility – service inequity in neighbourhoods, challengeswith distances required to walk to access transit, lack of publicbenches at bus stopsBuilt environment, right of way, and navigation challengesShortage of affordable housingLack of community support services within neighbourhoodsCaregiver stressSocial isolationCommunity and personal safetyEasily accessible communication mechanisms from municipalgovernmentLack of sufficient health support services to help people continue toreside in their own homeNot all of the gaps identified represent services provided by the City; some areclearly the purview of the province (e.g., health care), and some are servicesprovided in the community, or in partnership with the County of Wellington.Page 4 of 7CITY OF GUELPH COMMITTEE REPORT