April 2019 Highlights
Al Condelucci
April 26th
Community Living Fort Frances and District was lucky to have Al Condelucci, CEO of Community Living and Support Services, present to our staff on issues related to culture, community, and social capital. During his visit he also presented Fort Frances High School staff as part of our CORE Project (Creating Opportunities For Employment Regionally) in collaboration with the Rainy River District School Board. (Pictured above with Char Bliss).
Canadian Association for Community Living receives $250,000 in funding
Take from CLO Update Friday – May 3, 2019
Housing has been a hot topic lately all over Canada as the governments around the country try to find solutions that enable Canadians to have access that is affordable, inclusive and meets their needs as a whole.
In April, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos announced $2.2 million in funding for eleven projects through the National Housing Strategy Solultions Labs Initiative.
The National Housing Strategy (NS) is an ambitious 10-year, $55-billion plan that aims to elimnate 530,000 families across Canada from housing need, create 125,000 new housing units, renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.
Their Solutions Labs Initiative provides funding and experts to help housing stakeholders solve complex housing problem through the use of innovative strategies, fostering partnerships, and by the use of real-world data for evidence-based decision making.
A project proposed by the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) and several partners, including People First of Canada and PooranLaw is amongst the eleven approved projects and will be receiving $250,000 in funding.
The project, titled, Exploring the RDSP for Homeownership and Housing Stability, will explore how to leverage Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) to address the challenges people who have an intellectual disability face in finding long-term housing stability and accessing home ownership. Their aim is to create new housing pathways that promote financial security, housing stability, inclusion, independence, and full citizenship for those who have developmental disabilites.
Through the engagement of various contributors, including individuals with lived experience, CMHC and policymakers, the project hopes to ensure the final product or program design will meet the needs of those it will support while considering the position of those responsible for implementation.
We will be sure to keep tabs on the development of this project as it progresses and look forward to seeing the proposed solution. Funding for Solutions Labs is available to those who wish to address housing related issues identified under the National Housing Strategy’s priority areas. The initiative’s open-call process occurs annually.
The next one will be held this month. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
New television series sheds light on the job search for individuals who have an intellectual disability
Taken from CLO Update Friday – May 3, 2019
A new docuseries chronicling the experiences of people who have an intellectual disability as they search for meaningful employment is set to debut on A&E Network.
The eight episode television series titled The Employables will profile two job seekers as they work to identify their talents and find the link of work that is a good fit for them. The 60 minute episodes will follow them in their journey as they embark on interviews and will shed light on how family and friends support them throughout the process.
“We are honored that A&E continues to be a home to stories that celebrate diversity and give a voice to those fearlessly pursuing their dreams,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming at A&E Network. “Like our Emmy-winning series ‘Born This Way,’ ‘The Employables’ is an important example of how embracing our differences can bring about positive and necessary change both in the workplace and in the lives of so many people.” The Employables will premiere on A&E Network at 10 p.m. ET on May 8.
We are happy to see the interest in representing the employment process for these individuals and that A&E is striving to shed light on the topic. That being said, we look forward to watching the show to see how the individuals are represented. We hope that this show will provide meaningful insight into an issue that most people may not be aware of.
