Homelessness Project
National Homelessness Initiative – Thunder Bay

Capacity Building and Public Awareness
The project will improve the community capacity to respond to homelessness through the organization of a forum, creating and distributing an information skills kit on social policy development, establishing a network to implement plans to influence policy on homelessness. Also, the project will customize and consolidate information for people who are homeless so that by making one contact by phone, in person, or by website they can find the appropriate avenues for assistance through information provided in a user-friendly style for the target populations. This will enable them to access housing, employment and support services.

The Team
Marie Klassen, Program Manager (circ@tbaytel.net)
Kate Doornwaard, Project Coordinator (kate@lspc.ca)
Lorrie Dundas, Education Coordinator (lorrie@lspc.ca)

Past Events:
• Homelessness Awareness Week
• Forum on Homelessness and Poverty with keynote speaker Cathy Crowe

Social Policy Advocacy Toolkits
A Toolkit regarding Social Policy Advocacy will be developed and distributed to all interested stakeholders. The intent of this Toolkit is the same as the Forum. Through the distribution of the Toolkit, it is our goal to raise the level of understanding regarding Social Policy development and increase the individual’s ability to successfully advocate in this area.

Hard Times Handbook
The Hard Times Handbook was originally developed as the Anti-Poverty Project by Lakehead Social Planning Council and has been reprinted regularly over the last 17 years. We hope that the 2006 edition will help those who are trying to cope with difficult times. It will provide information on activities, programs and services in Thunder Bay, many of which are free, low cost or geared towards income.

This Handbook will be free to those who require it and will be available at a small fee to organizations that wish to distribute it. The expected release date of the Hardtimes Handbook is Spring 2006.

The Thunder Bay Homelessness Initiative is funded through the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) phase II.