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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240326T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240326T210000
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
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LAST-MODIFIED:20240228T211931Z
UID:5241-1711481400-1711486800@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:Everything Relationships!
DESCRIPTION:A monthly (4th Tuesday of the month) online drop-in to ask and discuss any questions that you have about building and keeping relationships. \nTopic: Fresh Starts! \nThese monthly sessions will be hosted alternately by Certified Sexual Health Educators Darren Frisk and Sherry Nassrin\, and are for individuals who want to build relationships\, both professionally & personally. \nDeveloping the relationships we want takes time & effort\, but we do get better at it. We can learn to be our most mature selves\, and to become more socially & emotionally aware.  We may need to expand our opportunities for meeting people\, to participate in activities that are new to us\, to nurture curiosity about others\, and to demonstrate flexibility around shared activities. This only makes sense if doing so aligns with our goals\, while preserving our mental & physical well-being. \nBeginning is the first step! Be kind to yourself\, and know that by reaching out in these sessions & elsewhere\, others will see your effort and will reach out back to you! \n \nNew!  You will earn a Frequent Friendly Face point for each event attended. Top point scorers will receive a gift card at the end of June 2024. \nPlease register for the event to get the Zoom link.
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/everything-relationships-5
CATEGORIES:Housing,Life & Social Skills
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://squarepegsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/the-importance-of-a-relationship-in-negotiation.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191115
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
CREATED:20191129T080000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211019T042646Z
UID:1170-1573689600-1573775999@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:Square Peg Society Accessibility Legislation Report Back Nov 2019-Feedback
DESCRIPTION: \nSPSAccessibilityLegislationReportBackNov2019-Feedback
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/square-peg-society-accessibility-legislation-report-back-nov-2019-feedback
CATEGORIES:Employment,Housing,Mental Health,Post-Sec Education,SPS Business
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20181129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20181130
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
CREATED:20181213T080000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211019T043144Z
UID:1167-1543449600-1543535999@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:Reflections on Independent ASD and Parent Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Thursday November 29\, 2018\,Reflections on Our Meeting\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\nA small\, but passionate & articulate group of parents gathered to talk about our ASD adult children\, their issues and lives\, and our lives with them\, as we try to guide them to independence.  \n\n\n\n Based upon our 5 key issues:  Post-secondary education\, Employment\, Housing\,Life & Social Skills\, and Mental Health\, I compiled a collection of concerns and examples\, to provide food for thought. We didn’t cover all of the list below\, but we can certainly do this again. (See this list at bottom) \n\n\n\nWe found that\, while everyone could recognize many aspects of the examples provided in their kids’ lives\, ASD is truly a Spectrum. Even within our sector of the ASD population\, the range of personalities and type of issues that they struggle with are huge! Parents are having to meet their kids where they are at\, and are not necessarily able to work on more than one or two issues at a time. Some families are focused on post-secondary education\, realizing that their gifted young adults would never be content working at a “Mac-job”. These families are concerned with the discipline\, organization & healthy living challenges that will be required for success at University. Other families are working through the issues that surround independent housing. For these families\, this might not be the parents’ first choice issue\, but “leaving home” is upper-most in the minds of their young adults\, who are not succeeding in school or employment at the moment. So\,helping them to live safe and healthy lives on their own is still a win on the path to independence. Others feel that\, given that their son or daughter knows and wants a job (for the money\, and a sense of purpose)\, the path to reaching their adult is through employment – and this becomes the families’ focus. The challenge for these families has been in finding customized employment services that will follow the young adult in exploring employment\, leading them to the skills training that they require\, and helping them to integrate into the job\,once employed. Some families have young adults who are quite social with a range of friends\, others have a social group built around a particular niche interest\, and some are painfully lonely\, and feel very isolated from other young adults their age\, leading to dysfunction in other aspects of life\, such as work and school. All families feel that mental health and appropriate employment services that would have helped them have been unavailable or unaffordable or both. \n\n\n\n“Motivation” was a concept that was discussed. Employment and social skills programs require that our adults be“motivated to participate” or “coach-able” or “open-minded”.  The problem for us\, as parents\, is that by the time our adults are in their 20’s (or older)\, they have been criticized\,bullied\, and are often cynical\, at best\, or clinically anxious or depressed. Added to this\, autism inherently implies a certain rigidity and inflexibility of thinking. Furthermore\, being asked to change one’s behavior is hard for anyone.So\, what to do? \n\n\n\nI have seen that our son is motivated by success – tough love is not a concept that works for him. So\, Dr. Bailey’s pearl of wisdom that development\, for our ASD individuals\, is protracted\, means that we need to understand and convey to our young adults that becoming fully independent will take longer than it will for others\, and that this is OK. If we can\, slow things down for them – their entry into full time employment\, the number of post-secondary courses that they take each year\, the number of activities that the take on\, to ensure that they do well\, and are not overcome with anxiety. Can we break goals down into small achievable steps\, so that they can see small gains as wins enroute to a larger goal? Is the first question we ask of post-secondary institution or employer be – can we do this program part-time\, or ease into employment over several months or a year? \n\n\n\nOne family suggested that money maybe the only way to motivate some individuals. If having money in their jeans is a motivator for our kid\, then should we consider paying them to participate in counseling or attending an employment or skills training program\, in the hope that once there\, they will engage and learn the skills being offered? \n\n\n\nFor our really bright kids\, who have a goal that they want to achieve – say\, an engineering\, law degree\, or a particular type of job – say\, medicine or mathematics professor- can we ask for behavioral “proofs”\, tapping into their rationality\, to get them on board? For example\, can we talk to them in a calm moment\, and tell them that for us to be willing to financially support their goal\, they must demonstrate their self-discipline and self-control through certain behaviours\, ie\, by adhering to agreed-upon financial or domestic responsibilities? \n\n\n\nThis week I have been in contact with family friends who have an adult son struggling with addiction. The helplessness that this family feels is not unlike how we feel at times. Here is what the Mom has written to me on the topic of motivation: \n\n\n\n“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about addiction in the past five years it’s that until an addict wants to go clean there is very little others can do…(Our son)… has never stayed with help and support – and he has had access to a lot of it. It’s pretty stunning the number of doctors\, counselors\, support groups etc he as walked away from. We are doing what all addiction counselors tell parents to do – take care of yourselves and don’t let the addiction bring you down…So we go on living and we still find joy and make plans… So many people live with some kind of sorrow in their heart. It’s part of the human experience.” \n\n\n\nI am thinking about building success through working from where our son is at right now\, and to celebrate what he is doing well. We can only work on future goals as long as he feels hopeful about life and is willing to work with us. So\, I am wishing you all insight into yourselves and your kids\, so that you can find some ways to better “motivate”your kids and yourselves in 2019.   \n\n\n\nWishing you and your families all the best over Christmas and in the New Year! \n\n\n\nJoette\, and all of us at Square PegSociety            joetteheuft@gmail.com \n\n\n\nIssues & Stories (Compiled from books and tales told to me) \n\n\n\nFinding My Path After High School: \n\n\n\nBlanca is 23 and single\, living with her parents & brother. She has trouble sleeping – her alarm rings at 7am\,but often she is awake as early as 5am\, even though she goes to sleep at midnight. She has morning classes at University\, where she is studying Marine Biology. As she has a 45 min transit ride to school\, she has to get up\, but feels tired\, anxious and consequently\, often forgets things that she needs for her day. As she packs her bag she has trouble finding things in her very messy room. \n\n\n\nArnold is an 18 year old college freshman\, living in a dorm. He dreads the evenings because his roommates invite their friends in and are noisy. For the most part\, his roommates and their friends ignore him. \n\n\n\nIssues that arise around post-secondary education: \n\n\n\n\nI have trouble managing my time.\nI can’t fall asleep at night\, so stay up late\, then have difficulty getting up in the morning.\nI am always worried about doing well– getting the grades I want\, and getting my assignments done.\nSometimes I feel really overwhelmed\,but would rather fail than get help at the Centre for Students with Disabilities.\nI can’t concentrate at the University because it is too noisy\, the lighting is awful\, it is too hot/cold/smells bad.\nMy profs seem annoyed by the questions that I ask\, and I always seem to end up having conflicts with them.\nI can’t get to know other students –they always seem too busy\, or are already in their own groups.\n\n\n\n\nHenry is 29\,has a BA in English\, but has been unemployed for 6 years. He has been looking for work through online ads. He lives with his father\, who is critical toward him for not having found work. Henry feels pressured about work\, but doesn’t get much done at home alone while his father is at work; they often argue when his Dad gets home. \n\n\n\nMargaret is an endocrinologist and works in a practice with several other physicians. At lunchtime she would prefer to eat alone\, but due to a shortage of office space\,she is forced to use the staff lunch room. She tries to be polite to others also eating there\, but has never felt comfortable making small talk. She is not quite sure what to say and doesn’t enjoy the topics that come up in conversation. She has received feedback from the office manager that she is not well liked by the staff. \n\n\n\nIssues that arise around employment: \n\n\n\n\nI can’t find a job and don’t know where to begin to look.\nI get so overwhelmed with the job search that I avoid looking.\nI get so nervous at job interviews\,that I never get called back.\nSometimes I think the interview went well\, but then don’t hear back from the employer. I don’t understand what went wrong.\nI can only find low-level jobs where I can’t use my talents.\nI can’t concentrate at my workplace because it is too noisy\, the lighting is awful\, it is too hot/cold/smells bad.\nI can’t seem to organize myself/work to be able to get everything done.\nI am anxious about not doing well at my work\, displeasing my supervisor\, or not fitting in with others.\nI am reluctant to ask for help because my supervisor always seems busy\, and/or my supervisor gets annoyed when I ask a lot of questions.\nI get irritated with coworkers\,supervisors\, and/or customers.\n\n\n\n\nLiving Alone & Together \n\n\n\nJake is single\,20\, and living with his parents. He recently dropped out of community college after only two semesters and now works part-time in the dairy department of a grocery store. Recently\, he got his driver’s license\, but is not comfortable driving\, and taking transit to work is complex and time-consuming. His stress over getting to work is at times so great that he calls in sick. He does not want to admit this to his parents\, but his anxiety over driving and transit contributed to his decision to quit college. \n\n\n\nNoel\, 37\, lives in his own apartment and works as a computer programmer. Evenings and weekends are very lonely. \n\n\n\nDan is an information technologist at a hospital. Dan is overweight\, has a family history of heart disease\, and has been told by his doctor that he needs to lose 40 lbs.He has had a girlfriend for about 3 years who also makes occasional comments on his weight. Dan knows that he has poor eating habits but is overwhelmed with the idea of changing his routine. He is not even sure what his first step should be toward organizing a weight-loss plan\, and continues to eat the same poor quality foods\, feeling guilty while doing so. \n\n\n\nIssues that arise around Living with others: \n\n\n\n\nI don’t keep up with laundry\,cleaning\, personal hygiene.\nI don’t get enough alone time\,privacy.\nMy family/roommates have too many guests – I feel uncomfortable having to socialize all the time.\nI argue a lot with my parents/siblings/roommates.\nMy family/roommates get annoyed with my behaviours and habits (eating\, sleeping times\, excessive tidiness\,messiness\, etc).\nI get annoyed with others’ behaviours and habits.\n\n\n\n\nIssues that arise around Living Alone: \n\n\n\n\nIt takes a long time for me to plan& prepare a meal\, so I resort to ordering in or eating out a lot\, which is both expensive and not very healthy.\nI don’t keep up with laundry\,cleaning\, personal hygiene.\nI can’t find the time to exercise/I get obsessed about my diet/exercise routine.\nI am very lonely\, and often don’t talk to anyone other than at work.\nI seem to misplace a lot of things(wallet\, keys\, purse\, etc).\nMy family worries that I will leave the stove on\, or forget to turn off the faucet in the bathroom.\nI have not always lived within my budget; my parents have on several occasions made good on my credit card debt.\n\n\n\n\nFinding Happiness – Relationships \n\n\n\nFred\, 31\, lives alone and works full time at a bank. Friday nights he gets together at a sports bar with a friend that he has had since high school. However\, they often argue– Fred has different opinions about sports from his friend and has been told that he is too aggressive in expressing his views. Sometimes his friend has brought others to join them\, but these people often get frustrated with Fred’s yelling. Even his friend has been threatening to quit their Friday night get-togethers. \n\n\n\nArnold wants to make friends\, but is very shy. He has always tried to “disappear” when around kids his own age\, a habit that protected him from bullies in high school. Now\,as an adult\, he wants to be more sociable\, but doesn’t know how to start conversations\, and even when he thinks of something to say\, he is too scared to try. \n\n\n\nNoel would like to get married and have children\, but has had no success with dating. He is frustrated because he feels that he is doing something wrong in terms of relationships\, but doesn’t know what it is. \n\n\n\nRobert would like to be able to run his own errands\, and to have his own activities\, such as going to the bank\, shopping or joining a gym. However\, in the past he has relied on others to speak for him\, and so doing these things on his own makes him highly anxious. But now he is motivated to become more independent because he does not enjoy hanging out by himself at home most of the time. \n\n\n\nCarla is 34 and married. She enjoys sexual activity\, but finds that being held tight outside of sex\, for long periods of time\, makes her feel claustrophobic. Her husband is affectionate\, and feels hurt when she rejects his hugs\, resulting in arguments between them. She finds herself avoiding contact with him. \n\n\n\nIssues that Arise Around Relationships \n\n\n\n\nI don’t know where to look to find friends.\nI feel my interests won’t interest others my age\, but I don’t want to pretend to be somebody else in order to make friends.\nI don’t know how to join in when it looks like everyone knows each other.\nI don’t know how to turn acquaintances into friends who will want to do something with me on the weekends.\nI have sometimes been told that I sound “nerdy” or like a “know it all”.\nI’m not sure that I can distinguish between a true friends and someone who is using me.\nI feel depressed that I will never have friends or a relationship.\nI don’t know where to meet potential dates\, and don’t feel comfortable in crowed places\, like parties or bars.\nI am too afraid of being rejected to ask someone for a date.\nI am intimidated by social networking sites\, and have tried online dating services\, but never got a date.\nI have begun a few Internet relationships\, but they have all fallen apart after meeting.\nI am embarrassed about being a virgin at my age.\nI doubt that I could trust that another person can accept me as I am; this inhibits me from becoming intimate with anyone.\nI get so upset when my partner is annoyed with me that I freeze and don’t know what to do or say.\nMy partner tells me that I am insensitive.\nMy partner blames all of our problems on ASD\, and it makes me feel guilty.
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/reflections-on-independent-asd-and-parent-meeting
CATEGORIES:Employment,Housing,Life & Social Skills,Mental Health,Post-Sec Education,SPS Business
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180216
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
CREATED:20180501T070000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211025T001005Z
UID:1161-1518652800-1518739199@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:A Home of My Own\,  Part Two
DESCRIPTION: February 15\, 2018 \n‘A Home of My Own’\, Part Two  \n  \nSpeakers:  Sue McIntyre & Julie Lebrun\, St. Andrew’s United Church\, Multi-Use Church Property  Re-development  \n                      Liz & Doug Cochran\, Finding/Developing Integrated Housing for our Adult Children  \n  \n St. Andrew’s United Church: The Re-development of Our Church Property   www.sauc.ca \n  \nThe St. Andrew’s Housing Society was formed as part of the redevelopment of St. Andrew’s United Church in Port Moody\, BC. Sue and Julie presented their planning process to date. In addition to a building permit\, a zoning change is also required for this project to proceed\, and the project is currently under review\, awaiting these approvals. \n Vision\, Mission and Values  \nChurch members\, in consultation with their congregation\, developed a visual representation of their mission\, vision\, and values in the form of a tree which they used to identify their key values\, which then guided their decision-making. It was emphasized throughout their presentation how important this vision was in helping them remain true to their values throughout the development process and in searching for partner organizations whose values aligned with theirs. \n Development Process  \nThe planning process began in 2014 and the project is projected to be ready for occupancy in 2020. St. Andrew’s advises that the planning and realization of this type of project takes time\, and patience needs to be exercised and lots of time allotted to the planning process. The process was described in 6 steps: \n\nMission/Vision: the idea\nFeasibility Study – The Concept Plan\nDetails: the Business Plan\nPreconstruction Phase\nConstruction\nOccupancy\n\nObjectives  \n\nCreate a new\, multifunctional\, welcoming space\nAchieve financial sustainability for the Church\nProvide benefits to the surrounding community\nConstruct a high quality building based on sustainable design\n\nIt is interesting to see how well these objectives have translated into the proposed project. Included are a new church for the congregation and shareable space for the surrounding community\, a Children’s Treatment Centre\, and affordable rental housing for families and individuals. Their studies indicated that what the community needed was not condos\, and not expressly seniors’ housing or housing for people with disabilities\, though it can accommodate both. Their intent for their housing was to provide a ‘great place to live in a kind way’. \n Partners  \nFinding and developing good partnerships is key to the success of this type of project. While the congregation had land and a long term goal\, it had neither the money nor expertise to move ahead on the project alone. The Church connected with four partners and the role and importance of each was described. \nThe partner organizations are: \n\nUnited Church of Canada BC Conference\nKinsight (formerly Simon Fraser Society for Community Living)\nSHARE Family & Community Services\nCatalyst Community Developments\n\nSignificant support has been provided by the United Church of Canada BC Council and BC Housing. \nMore details on the partners is available at http://www.thefuture2318.com/ \n Proposed New Building  \nA schematic of the proposed new building was shown and described; St Andrews is not yet ready to broadly circulate their drawings until they have received their permits. However\, it was inspiring to see how far the vision and values of the congregation\, have taken them from the existing church afloat in a large parking lot\, to the proposed building. Included are a new Church and Church offices and a Children’s Treatment Centre for people with developmental disabilities (this will be jointly owned and operated by Kinsight and SHARE. St. Andrew’s felt that the Treatment Centre\, a permanent partner\, with compatible values\, was preferable to retail units\, which would tend to have a higher rate of turnover\, and which may or may not be good neighbours. Proposed are 55 rental units\, ranging from studios to 3-bedroom units\, owned and managed jointly by the non-profit housing arms of Catalyst and the Church (the Church will own 30-35% of the units). Resisting the pressure to develop condos instead of rental units demonstrates an understanding of the surrounding community and a commitment to St. Andrew’s development vision. Rental income will be used to pay the mortgage and sustain the Church. Professional property managers will be engaged for the day to day running of the building. \n Project Financing  \nVarious partner organizations have contributed financially to the project throughout the developmental process (see 6 steps above). The Church’s primary assets were their land\, and a dedicated community willing to give of their time to work on this project. Careful selection of Partners connected the Church to development expertise and money. St. Andrew’s emphasized that they could not have undertaken this project alone. \n\nMission/Vision: St. Andrew’s Church\nFeasibility Study This cost approximately $20\,000\, provided by the United Church of Canada\, VanCity Credit Union\nBusiness Plan: St. Andrew’s\, UCC\, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)\, Catalyst Community Developments\nPreconstruction Phase: predevelopment loan from BC Housing\nConstruction: Church land transfer\, BC Housing\nOccupancy: take out financing\n\nWho Will Live There  \nThe process for applying/selecting occupants for the units has not yet been decided. The rental rates for the 51 units may vary but will average about 15% below market rates. The 4 units reserved for people with developmental disabilities will be rented and managed by Kinsight at the monthly housing allowance rate for PWD. \n Lessons Learned  \nJulie and Sue summarized their learning about the re-development process to date\, and advise others as follows: \n\nStay true to the vision\nDevelop guidelines for decision-making\nBuild a communication strategy\nCommunicate constantly; using different media and being inclusive of all stakeholder groups (eg. neighbours)\nDon’t do it alone; each partner brings something that makes it work\n\nHow to Help  \nThe congregation of St. Andrew’s United Church is a relatively small group (70 people) and welcomes community support and involvement. One opportunity is to attend the upcoming public hearing at Port Moody City Council. The date of this hearing has not yet been announced. \n  \nFinding/Developing Integrated Housing for our Adult Children  \nLiz Cochran is a co-founder of Vancouver Transition Parents\, a parent support group working hard to share information around the support of people with disabilities transitioning to adulthood and their families. Liz and Doug Cochran also represent a small group of Vancouver parents seeking to provide long term housing for their adult children with disabilities. This group evolved from common interest as their sons were part of a ball hockey league\, and the parents began to talk about housing for them a bit further into the future. From a larger initial group\, three families have come together over the past two years to find a solution and are ready to invite other Vancouver families interested in joining them on this project. \nThey identified some of the same issues that Julie and Sue described – the considerable amount of time that is required to define a vision/goals so that one knows what to look for\, and finding compatible partners. They formed a non-profit society as a basis for connecting with potential partners\, one of which\, \nthe Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI)\, has come aboard with this project. BACI would buy some or all of the proposed building\, manage it\, and perhaps offer some life skills programs\, such as cooking classes. In addition to engaging an architect\, Anthony Bonni\, the group has considered various building designs\, has liaised with VanCity about financial strategies (families would put in money) and has met with Terra Housing to figure out what was possible and what they really wanted. \nThis group is looking for a Vancouver location for their young adults\, as this is where they live\, and where their kids grew up. However\, as you can imagine\, the high cost of housing in Vancouver has made finding a site challenging. Yet\, as this is where they also live\, and want to be close to their kids\, and believe that their children ‘have the right to live in the community where they grew up’. \nImportant aspects of their housing vision: \n\nA mixed community which would include a variety of people of ages\, ethnicity\, and ability\nTo avoid being perceived as a “building where disabled people live”\, they feel that they would like to limit the number of people with developmental disabilities to 50% of the building’s population\, though their view of this has evolved over time\, and is not necessarily fixed.\nThey would like to offer a combination of living arrangements.\nThey will also be developing a mechanism to enable individuals to move out\, as they recognize that circumstances in the lives of everyone\, including the lives of their kids\, may change.\nThe inclusion of communal social area important.\nProximity to transit\, shopping and recreational activities is important.\nSome things\, such as parking space or garden areas are less important\, and may be reduced in area from what would be included in other buildings.\n\nLiz’s group feels that buying an existing building and renovating it\, is their most feasible option\, both in terms of time and money\, and have looked at a number of older apartment buildings. They think that a building of 10-16 units would be appropriate for them\, but so far have not found anything that would meet their needs. They have also noted that without an actual building it is challenging to develop a working relationship with the housing “players” in the city\, such as BC Housing/City of Vancouver\, or to get solid commitments from other parents who also need housing solutions for their adult children. They also have realized that\, when they do find a building\, they will have to contend with existing tenants who will have to be bought out\, or who may not want to leave. \nAn organizational framework that they are considering is the idea of ‘life leases’ where a member of the group would purchase the use of their accommodation in the building. Lessees would pay in and live in the building until they choose to move\, or until their death\, with the next person moving in paying the departing lessee or their estate the use purchase fee. Essentially\, lessees would buy a ‘right’ to inhabit and use part of the building. Any increase in value would be shared by members. \n Advice to other groups wanting to undertake similar projects  \n\nRealize housing projects take time\nLook at lots of projects/buildings to get ideas\nFind experts in the not-for-profit organizations\nMake meetings fun\nPartner with a service provider with experience and expertise in housing.\n\nLiz’s presentation left me puzzling over possible solutions to finding a building. I have difficulty seeing the City of Vancouver permitting the development of a multiple unit building in a single family zone\, even if their 10-16 inhabitants were housed in only 5 suites. An existing large single family house\, however\, could be re-designed with four or five bedrooms with bathrooms and a large common area\, with possibly a laneway house for a support worker to live in. This scenario implies that the building would need to appear as a single family building\, and not as a building with multiple front doors. I am also wondering if a relationship with a developer and/or the City of Vancouver could be pursued where families belonging to groups such as Liz’s could be given the option to purchase 3 or 4 adjacent suites in a new condo development at the design phase\, when the plan is still in flux\, which could then be re-worked to meet the needs of the young adults to be housed. This would likely involve the City offering a density bonus\, and/or allowing the reduction in the number of required parking spaces. Another possibility would be to cultivate relationships with the owners/property managers of older apartment buildings\, and ask to be alerted to any vacancies of apartments. The group could then begin to “assemble” units in the building\, providing incentives to tenants in a given suite to move other units in the building\, so that the group can gather units together to renovate them to meet the needs of their members. What would likely make this work would be the offer of the group to provide some building improvement capital\, and possibly to upgrade the suites of those tenants that have agreed to re-locate to another unit in the building. Finally\, what about further expanding upon the laneway house concept\, and instead of thinking about housing our kids together in a single building\, looked at housing them together in a neighbourhood? For example\, if 3 adjacent single family houses could be found either with aging home owners\, or home owners needing a mortgage helper\, laneway houses which could accommodate two individuals in each could be built on each of the 3 lots. If these were developed at the same time\, there could be significant design\, permitting\, and building savings. To make this really work would require that these laneway houses be either strata titled or given something like a long-term lease\, to ensure the security of housing that these individuals would need. Making them zero lot line units would make more efficient use of the land. However\, these might be hard to achieve in terms of permits. This grouped laneway house scenario could also allow the pooling of support worker hours\, if supported individuals were housed close together\, in the same neighbourhood. \nWe wish Liz and Doug and their other members well with this project and look forward to future updates.
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/a-home-of-my-own-part-two
CATEGORIES:Housing
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170119
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
CREATED:20180305T080000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211019T043824Z
UID:1160-1484697600-1484783999@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:A Home of My Own \, Part One
DESCRIPTION:Presentation: A Home of My Own  \nSpeaker: Ross Chilton CEO Community Living Society (CLS)\, January 18th 2017\n \nBelow Notes taken by Joette\n \nMany of the calls of concern from families coming to organizations such as CLS are about housing and affordability. This is reflective of the gap between the Disability monthly housing allowance of $375.00 and the average price of a one-bedroom apartment at $1\,600 – $2\,000. \nThe existing crisis\, particularly in the Lower Mainland\, but also in other cities around the Province\, has gained the attention of decision makers regarding the need for affordable housing. The Provincial Government has proposed the creation of 114\, 000 affordable housing units over the next 10 years. The Federal Governments has also taken some responsibility\, after a 30-year hiatus\, for the provision of affordable housing. Some municipalities\, such as Vancouver and New Westminster\, feel that they can be partners in resolving the acute need for affordable housing through the means that that are available to them – for example\, the rezoning of municipally held property\, rezoning to higher density to increase supply\, and demanding that developers provide non-market housing in exchange for density bonuses. \nThose in attendance expressed their agreement with existing research that families want for their supported individuals what everyone wants – safe and affordable homes\, meaningful employment\, and to love and be loved. They want their adult children to be independent\, but not isolated from community either geographically or socially. \nHISTORY OF INSTITUTIONS  \nIn the past it was commonly believed that grouping the disabled together was the best way to keep them safe. However\, placing people institutions\, large and small\, from hospitals to half-way houses\, most often does not provide residents with the opportunity to control their day-to-day living\, and therefore\, the dignity of self-determination. Ross shared the quote that smaller institutions are not the solution\, from them we have merely “learned to disappoint people in much smaller numbers”. Residents in this type of housing often find themselves in enclaves for disabled people\, rather than citizens in a broader community. \nRoss cautioned that how an adult child with a developmental disability envisions his or her future may be different from what their parents envision for them. The young adult may not want to share housing with others with developmental disabilities\, or with other families. Current thinking is that opportunity leads to skills; that it might be better to provide the desired housing opportunity first\, and then support individuals in gaining the life skills that they need as they need them. \nThe 2016 IGNITE CONFERENCE examined the following housing models: \n\nGroup homes\nShared living\nSupported or independent living\nLiving with parents\n\nThere are no reliable statistics on the number of people who require affordable housing due to developmental disabilities. Some of them have never been registered for services\, and some have simply merged into the homeless population. \nBC HOUSING AND CLS  \nBC Housing and CLS are discussing the housing crisis in general as well as how to address together the problems of those who fall between the cracks and receive no help or the wrong help. CLS could become a housing support agency. \nCurrently\, the main priorities of the provincial Government are mental health and drug addiction. However\, as safe & secure housing is key to achieving success on all other fronts\, addressing these “top priority” needs should therefore\, also be the impetus for affordable housing solutions. \nWHAT WORKS OR COULD WORK?  \nModels: \n\nFamilies collaborating to purchase/develop housing and/or supporting each other to share information and advocate for affordable housing. However\, families without deep pockets want help – in the form of access to development advice/expertise\, access to low interest development funds\, parental funding matched by government grants\, the ability to apply Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) to housing.\nChurch or service provider led housing – in our February 2018 meeting we will present a Church led mixed use development soon to be under construction.\nDeveloper/Government/Social Service Provider partnerships. Typically\, this involves the various levels of government providing the land and/or zoning relaxations and density bonuses to allow developers to build more units in exchange for building some affordable housing units for special needs individuals. The service providers contribute the social supports\, and perhaps property management post-construction. The link between transit and affordable housing is increasingly understood – people with lower incomes and people with disabilities often do not drive. Therefore\, there are building cost savings to be gained if developers are allowed to provide fewer parking spaces. The role of government in this example would be to ensure good transit connections. CLS new 6 unit building. Building plans such as BACI’s 12 units of housing that layers those with disabilities on the ground floor for ease of access\, another floor for seniors\, and another for students.\nGovernment programs that offer support through rental subsidies\, that may even be portable – that is\, that are attached to an individual\, rather than a building.\n\nSafety and security post-construction: \nRoss feels that technology can provide solutions to many families concerns for their individual’s safety and well-being through virtual support such as: \n\n“Find my phone app” to track an individual through GPS tracking of their iPhone.\nAutomatic door and light sensors\, auto emergency advisor systems\, digital medication reminders.\nMeal or ingredients delivery services.\n\nAs well\, there are things that we can do as families to help support our young adult to live independently successfully. \n\nEncourage them to develop predictable patterns of behavior – e.g. shopping at same grocery store – to establish community connections.\nHelp them to build a personalized guide book\, based upon their specific interests and preferences\, which can include useful ideas\, recipes\, lists of things to remember etc.
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/meeting-january-18th-2017
CATEGORIES:Housing
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160109
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160110
DTSTAMP:20260429T165753
CREATED:20160109T080000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211018T233257Z
UID:1142-1452297600-1452383999@squarepegsociety.ca
SUMMARY:January 9\, 2016 Housing Workshop: Howard Staples\, Facilitator
DESCRIPTION:Inclusive Housing Workshop\, hosted jointly by VPTG & BACI \nHoward Staples\, Facilitator \n  \nOn January 9\, 2016 we (Joette\, Louvain\, Laya and Mahmoud) joined a workshop entitled “Building Intentional Housing Communities” organized by the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI) and Vancouver Parents Transition Group (VPTG). Most of the parents participating in this roundtable have an adult relative (20-45 years) with special needs. These parents feel that supported co-housing would offer their youth independence & dignity\, while\, at the same time providing them with the emotional and life supports that they require. \n  \nRichard Faucher\, co-executive director of BACI\, described some of BACI’s housing projects. BACI is a well-established non- profit organization working for people with disabilities in Metro Vancouver. It is funded through grants from Community Living BC (CLBC)\, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD)\, the Fraser Health Authority\, etc.)\, and funds raised from sources such as Gaming. BACI’s annual budget is about 25 million and the organization owns both land and rental buildings in Burnaby. BACI is committed to the development of inclusive housing\, and therefore\, is interested in connecting with like-minded groups in Metro Vancouver. BACI is able to provide property\, and/or  purchase some units in new or renovated buildings  for renting to persons with disabilities. They can also provide\, through their contacts with developers\, banks\, lawyers\, project managers\, and architects\, the expertise required to plan and execute a supported housing project. \n  \nHoward Staples\, co-founder of Windsong Co-Housing\, who also works as community housing consultant\, acted as a facilitator. Howard has lived with his wife and their children at Windsong over 20 years \,along with about 100 other people.  He showed pictures of their co-op and it looked like a tight\, lovely community. \n  \nA Co-housing community may or may not include persons with disabilities. The values\, type of ownership\, and ethnic & demographic mix will vary according to the individuals involved in the proposed community\, and should be defined carefully & clearly at the outset. Generally a co-housing community embraces the idea of living in community\, and will include more shared\, communal space than is typical in a standard townhouse or condominium project. Howard discussed the form and types of ownership of some existing co-housing communities.  He also provided an overview of the typical development process\, beginning with values\, vision\, and risks and financing\, site search and feasibility\, the decision making process\, and legal and governance structures.  These points were outlined in his handout\, entitled\, “The Basics of Getting Your Community Built”. Contact Howard for more information: (howard@windsong.bc.ca). \n  \nThe attendees then identified the features that they believe their intended housing community should  have. Some of these features are as follows: \n\nTo be in Vancouver (metro area)\,\nTo have a mixed population\, of owned & rental units\, with about 20% of the units allotted to persons with special needs.\nTo have some quad units\, with each bedroom having a bathroom\, and with a single\, shared kitchen.\nTo have some units with private kitchens.\nTo share resources.\nTo provide some opportunities for employment or home-based businesses on site.\n\n  \nFour families elected to become core members and agreed to attend mandatory monthly meetings to further develop their plan.  The next meeting is to be February 22. Core members will soon be expected to place a deposit to secure their position to buy into the project when a site is found. Other attendees became non-core members\, and can attend meetings\, and become core members on future projects\, and will pay a nominal membership fee. \n  \nTo summarize\, I found the meeting very informative. BACI has contacts and access to resources\, (capital and property). Howard Staples is interested in becoming the consultant for the project\, though his rates were not specified. There is a motivated team of parents\, but I expect the journey\, even after the property is found\, to be at least a few years long. The cost of this inclusive co-housing project will be likely be the same as market prices\, but co-op living will provide all members with a great opportunity to be part of a caring\, socially connected community.
URL:https://squarepegsociety.ca/event/january-9-2016-housing-workshop-howard-staples-facilitator
CATEGORIES:Housing
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