Jan 3rd, 2017

2016 OCH Partnership Forum

Thank you to all participants who attended the 2016 OCH Partnership Forum

Key Note Address

Christo Bilukidi – Former NFL player and Ottawa resident that has recently signed on to become an OCH Tenant Ambassador delivered a keynote address on the path that led him from living in OCH to playing in the National Football League, and the importance of having a strong support system.

Synergy Table Presentations

Ottawa Gang Strategy – Crime Prevention Ottawa – by Nancy Worsfold – Access presentation here

From 2013 – 16, the Ottawa Gang Strategy offered a roadmap to help the city address gangs and street level violence. This vast partnership—made up of social service agencies, community organizations, police, schools and others—developed and implemented 12 initiatives that addressed the problem from every angle. Together, they formed the Ottawa Gang Strategy Steering Committee, each drawing on their expertise, knowledge of the issues, networks, resources and determination to work collectively to address the problem. This presentation details the strategy’s outcomes and results measured through an independent evaluation in 2016. While it summarizes what we achieved in three years, our work on gangs and street level violence continues. The strategy will evolve and change based on our understanding of the issues and the shifting realities in our city.

Options Bytown – How to Measure Change? – by Jennifer Laewen, Joyce Lundrigan – Access presentation here

Options Bytown is a medium size organization that provides housing and supports to people living in poverty and those who face complex needs. With increased pressure from funders and Boards to evaluate programming and provide evidenced based programming, Options Bytown has adopted the Outcome Star measurement tool that helps to measure and support the work that they do. This is an innovative tool that is visual, tenant friendly, and measures what matters. The Outcome Star provides outcomes at individual service user, program level, programs across organizations and can aggregate data for funders. Evaluation is important in all sectors and industries and remains a challenge for many.

Parent Resource Centre – GoFamily!AllezFamilles! – by Catherine Millar – Access presentation here

The recently launched GoFamily!AllezFamilles! tool developed by the Parent Resource Centre, is an interactive Google based map that users, parents, professionals, and the general public can navigate to find services organized in 17 different categories right in their neighbourhoods. Created with the end user in mind, it is the first time that all free or minimal cost early years services have been grouped into one single searchable map. The tool is the result of countless hours of discussion around how to make it easier for families and professionals to find the supports and services they need in Ottawa, while keeping the information locally relevant and up-to-date. This is a new powerful tool for anyone working or supporting families across Ottawa, but has the potential to be easily replicated in any sector! Learn more about the process, the tool and how it can benefit the work you do today.

Healthy Relationships, Healthy Communities – Seniors Bullying – by Ubah Hersi (OCH), Monique Parkman (OCH) and  Andrea Reid (Carlington Community Health Centre) – Access presentation here

Bullying is often viewed solely as a problem among children. However, bullying stands in the way of healthy communities. There is a lack of resources for adults and seniors who experience bullying. Carlington Community Health Centre, Ottawa Community Housing, Ottawa West Community Support, and the Hampton Court Tenants Advisory Committee each noticed how bullying was affecting the senior’s community of Hampton Court and came together to address the issue. Healthy Relationships, Healthy Communities was a multi-layered approach to address seniors bullying, ranging from micro-level interventions to a more macro-level and community-coordinated response. The project also included a strong element of evaluation, including pre- and post-surveys, to help determine the effects and value of project activities and inform next steps. We would like to take the opportunity to share the project concept, results and resources, as well as explore possible avenues for future collaboration to address seniors bullying and contribute to healthy communities.

Ottawa Good Food Initiatives – Challenges with Sustainable Funding – by Kaitrin Doll, Gillian Keefe, Bryana Katz – no presentation available

Following up on our last fruitful discussion about supporting place based food initiatives, we will be looking more deeply at an issue which impacts our ability to continue to flourish. What happens to innovative initiatives after initial investment and funding run dry, or there isn’t sufficient funding to meet community needs and respond to strengths? Let’s get creative and explore this common challenge together, with a focus on Good Food Initiatives. How does funding scarcity impact our ability to be innovative in our work and how we limit the impact on neighbourhoods that rely on these programs? Let’s have a conversation about Good Food initiatives in Ottawa Community Housing, how they’ve changed the neighbourhoods and how we can be innovative to ensure that ongoing initiatives are sustainable.