The Fall 2009 Session of the National Housing Research Committee’s (NHRC’s) Distinct Need Working Group was held on Tuesday afternoon, November 3rd at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Pinnacle Room, 101 Lyon Street in Ottawa.

This Working Group meeting continues to be at the forefront of our nation’s distinct needs research and also provides you with great networking opportunities. The meetings of all Working Groups were video web-cast live in both official languages to reach all stakeholders interested in NHRC matters.

Meeting Description

The Distinct Needs Working Group Co-Chairs, Karla Skoutajan of Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) and Jim Zamprelli of CMHC opened the meeting. The theme of this meeting was young persons and their housing and support needs. The first presenter, Dr. Michelle Pidgeon of Simon Fraser University, looked at the role that housing plays in recruiting and retaining Aboriginal students attending college and university in the urban area of Vancouver. This was followed by a presentation of two videos, one focusing on young people’s experience with relocation due to public housing redevelopment, specifically the revitalization of Regent Park, the other about the “Atkinson Co-op Revolution”, a short film about community development activities that have resulted in young people becoming engaged in their co-op. This was followed by a mini-panel presentation on two separate projects offering housing with supports such as skills development, employment, mentoring and empowerment in the community. One presentation was on Youth Opportunities Unlimited, London, Ontario, and the other was on the Lilly Building project and the work of Choices for Youth in St. John’s Newfoundland.

Open the links to view the webcast of presenters:
Access to Housing Finance Among Recent Immigrants by Greg Mason, PRA Inc
Women’s Perspectives on Suburbs and Sociability by Kate Thompson, Masters Student, Dalhousie University
The City of Lethbridge’s New Framework for Social Policy by Deputy Mayor Barbara Lacey, City of Lethbridge, Alberta