Community Partners

Social Planning Council Kingston & Area (SPC)

The Social Planning Council's (SPC) goal is to raise awareness about social needs in Kingston and area and to engage citizens and community partners in planning and action on social needs that will improve the well being of the whole community. The SPC works to build social capital in the community between individuals and groups to enable collaborative action on projects of common interest.

Community Actions

Action	Target	Status	Themes
Schools at the Centre A session with Annie Kidder, originator of the "Schools at the Centre" initiative. With broad community contacts and the capacity to convene diverse groups of people SPC facilitates theses kinds of discussions.	Lead community-based discussions to gather input on the following key questions: - What is the relationship between a school and its community? - What is the role of those without children in the system? - What role should organizations like "Schools at the Centre" play?	Ongoing	Primary theme: SO1 All themes by pillar Social: SO1
Homelessness Proposal Proposal developed to undertake a project to improve information and knowledge about homelessness in the Kingston area. The proposal focuses on the risks of homelessness for residents of our community who face high housing costs and other issues that put them at risk of losing their accommodation.	Better understanding of the numbers of people facing these problems and causes of these risks is expected to help improve responses to and prevent rising homelessness.	Ongoing	Primary theme: SO4 All themes by pillar Social: SO4 SO1 SO2 SO3
Roundtable on Poverty Hosted and overseen by the Social Planning Council, the Roundtable is a group of 24 members who include a cross-section of people who are committed to reducing the number of Kingston residents who live in poverty.	- Work with the local Kingston community plus all levels of government to encourage and support effective responses that will lead to a permanent reduction in poverty. - Identify poverty reduction targets and communicate these to fellow residents. - Keep the public informed about progress in meeting these targets and hold the community accountable for their roles in reducing poverty. - Increase public awareness of poverty — the causes, the issues and the people affected. - Develop and make available community resources related to poverty reduction.	Ongoing	Primary theme: SO4 All themes by pillar Social: SO4 SO1 SO2
Peer Support Initiative Assist in the convening of the Peer Support Initiative which is recognized as part of an overall endeavour to attack and overcome the causes of poverty and injustice.	Encourage community participation to enable low-income people to have more control over their own lives, and to raise awareness in the Kingston community about the basic causes of social injustice.	Ongoing	Primary theme: SO4 All themes by pillar Social: SO4 SO2 SO3
Social Enterprise and Innovation Kingston (SEIK) A joint project with the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Queen's University, this development plan for a social enterprise centre in Kingston to act as a hub for individuals and organizations with social objectives.	The centre aims to foster community-oriented enterprise by increasing economic, social and voluntary activities.	Discussions underway for initial pilot.	Primary theme: EC2 All themes by pillar Cultural: CU3 Economic: EC2 Social: SO1