Edmonton Social Planning Council

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  • fACTivist Feature Article: Addressing Racialized Populations’ Barriers to Affordable Housing

    fACTivist Feature Article: Addressing Racialized Populations’ Barriers to Affordable Housing

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    Note: this is excerpted from the Spring 2021 edition of our fACTivist publication. The Edmonton Social Planning Council, in collaboration with volunteers and colleagues within the sector, strives to provide stakeholders and community members with updates on ESPC’s activities and projects, including articles and initiatives that address a variety of pertinent issues that affect our community.

    Written by Sydney Sheloff and Brett Lambert

    Among Canadians who experience homelessness or housing instability, there is a disproportionate number who come from racialized populations—this can include Indigenous peoples, refugees, and newcomers alike. According to data collected by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness’ Homeless Hub, the disparities are glaring. 

    For comparison, about 1 in 5 racialized families in Canada will live in poverty, while only 1 in 20 non-racialized families experience poverty. [1] Among populations experiencing homelessness, 28.2% of them are members of racialized groups, compared to the Canadian average of 19.1%. [1] While Indigenous peoples make up only 4.3% of the overall Canadian population, they comprise 30.6% of the youth homelessness population. [1]

    For refugees and newcomers to Canada, one of the biggest challenges is finding housing that is safe, suitable, and affordable. Across Canada, visible minorities make up 40% of renters in affordable and social housing (compared to 32% in market rentals and 23% in home ownership) while Indigenous peoples make up 9.4% of renters in affordable and social housing (compared to 3.8% of market rentals and 3.1% of home ownership). [2]

    Due to long wait times to obtain subsidized housing, these racialized populations may be compelled to look outside of affordable housing options and enter the private housing market. This increases the risk of finding housing that is too expensive, overcrowded, or illegally rented. As a result, they face an increased risk of homelessness and core housing need compared to other groups. About 10% of newcomer youth in Canada experience homelessness. [1]

    According to the 2016 federal Census, more than 164,000 households in Alberta are living in unsafe, crowded, and unaffordable housing. [3] As of February 2020, within Edmonton alone nearly 10,000 people were on the wait list for Capital Region Housing’s rental assistance program. [4] Among those experiencing homelessness, as of March 2021, 2,072 people in Edmonton are unhoused, according to Homeward Trust Edmonton. [5] Nearly 60% of them identify as Indigenous. [5]

    With this in mind, the need to improve the affordable housing situation couldn’t be more urgent. In response to this intractable problem, the provincial government put together an Affordable Housing Review Panel in the summer of 2020 to work towards solutions. The panel completed its work and submitted a report to the minister of Seniors and Housing on October 5, 2020. The full report was released to the public on December 11, 2020. [Note: The Edmonton Social Planning Council contributed to one of the panel’s engagement sessions with key housing sector stakeholders, in addition to a written submission.] 

    The panel’s recommendations focused on the need to develop provincial strategic plans for housing, encourage municipalities to develop local affordable housing plans, build the capacity of housing providers, and simplify the application process for tenants. It also recommended privatization of the sector by increasing the role of the private sector and shifting the government’s role from owner and controller to that of partner and funder. The ministry accepted all of the panel’s recommendations. 

    Knowing the present racial inequities that exist for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) to access housing, will the panel’s recommendations help or hinder the pursuit to close the racial gap? 

    While there is a lot to dissect and unpack in the panel’s final report, it is encouraging to see it acknowledged that housing solutions are not suitable to a one-size-fits-all approach and that communities across Alberta, along with different segments within those communities, have unique needs to account for. For example, the report highlights that successful programming for Indigenous peoples require the incorporation of cultural sensitivities. Similarly, immigrant and newcomer families may want housing suitable for large intergenerational families. 

    With that, the panel’s report emphasizes that fairness, equity, and inclusivity need to guide decision-making. Building off of this, the panel sees benefits to housing providers that own and operate their own affordable housing assets because they can more easily address unique housing needs from within the communities they serve, along with other custom solutions to known issues in their respective communities. 

    This could potentially be a good thing for racialized communities. BIPOC community organizations are likely very well aware of the unique issues that people in their communities face in terms of housing and also likely have unique solutions. For example, in Seattle, a collective of Black LGBTQ people purchased a plot of land in order to give housing to people in need within their community, as well as to push back against gentrification and displacement. They also built a community garden and healing space to address residents’ other needs. Members of the collective, including those who are housed by it, get to make decisions about how their housing is run. Innovative solutions such as these may be limited under the current system. 

    However, questions arise on whether community organizations have the capacity to own and administer housing. BIPOC communities have faced—and continue to face—social exclusion and economic disenfranchisement, which has limited their resources and power. BIPOC organizations must operate in colonial institutions that have historically oppressed them. Therefore, they may face barriers when attempting to operate housing. Additionally, many of these organizations are already overwhelmed caring for other needs in their community and may not have the time or energy to take on additional housing responsibilities. 

    While the report does outline the need to ensure sufficient capacity building, more concrete ideas of what capacity development actually looks like is required. Organizations that are Indigenous- or Black-led may need help that differs from that needed than a white-led organization. 

    An encouraging development is that the panel expressed an interest in rent subsidy programs for those who need temporary support but are not eligible for existing programs. If designed properly, these programs could have the potential to reach some of the most vulnerable populations to access housing, included racialized groups. Of course, this has to be balanced with the knowledge that cuts to rental assistance programs and suspension of housing wait lists occurred within the first year of the United Conservative Party government’s term prior to the formation of this panel (notably, this funding was restored in the latest 2021 provincial budget). Any progress stemming from the panel’s recommendations has to be tempered with the ground that was lost beforehand. 

    While the report has starts that are good ideas to deal with the unique housing needs of different racial groups, the explanations in this report seem vague and underdeveloped. Moreover, the prospect of the report being amenable to privatization of the affordable housing sector, and shifting governmental roles and responsibilities onto the private sector, is a source of concern. The needs of the most marginalized people seeking to access housing could fall by the wayside. 

    There are developments within the panel’s report that give reason for hope, but the report does come with important caveats, and the devil will ultimately be in the details. 

    Sydney Sheloff is Research Officer and Brett Lambert is Community Engagement Coordinator for the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

    Sources:

    [1] Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. (n.d.). Racialized Communities. Homeless Hub.  https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/racialized-communities

    [2] Claveau, J. (2020). The Canadian Housing Survey, 2018: Core housing need of renter households living in social and affordable housing. Statistics Canada.  https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75f0002m/75f0002m2020003-eng.htm

    [3] Statistics Canada. (2017, November 17). Core housing need, 2016 census. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/chn-biml/index-eng.cfm

    [4] Wyton, M. (2020, February 13). Edmonton housing assistance waitlist balloons in wake of provincial funding cuts. The Edmonton Journal. https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-housing-assistance-waitlist-balloons-in-wake-of-provincial-funding-cuts

     [5] Homeward Trust Edmonton. (n.d.). Program Data. https://homewardtrust.ca/what-weve-learned/performance-evaluation/

     

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  • Op-Ed: Alberta needs to provide more robust relief for struggling families

    Op-Ed: Alberta needs to provide more robust relief for struggling families

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    Note: this op-ed was first published in the Edmonton Journal on May 27, 2021 (p. A6).

    Written by Sydney Sheloff and Brett Lambert

    The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly all segments of our society, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups. Families with children have particularly felt the effects due to the back and forth between the closing and re-opening of schools and child-care centres as successive waves of the virus spread through the community.

    The pandemic has taken a toll on the economy, contributing to high unemployment rates and increased financial instability. At the same time, families are having to contend with increased costs related to food, child care, virtual or in-person learning, face masks, and other expenses. What is needed during this trying time is relief and stability to alleviate and reduce poverty. Child benefits are an important measure towards that end. The Edmonton Social Planning Council has long touted the advantages of enhanced child benefits for low-income families.

    Fortunately, the federal Canada Child Benefit (CCB) delivers tax-free monthly payments to families to help with costs related to raising children under the age of 18. For many families, it is a crucial stabilizer and has been credited with lifting nearly 300,000 children out of poverty. Positive impacts of child benefits include improved educational outcomes, food security, and stronger social cohesion. It also has the advantage of efficiently delivering relief during times of crisis. This was on display when the federal government distributed an extra payment of $300 per child through the CCB during the beginning of the pandemic in May 2020.

    Acknowledging that COVID-19 has continued to impact families, extra payments totalling a maximum of $1,200 per child under the age of six are being sent to families in 2021 through the CCB young child supplement. The first in a series of payments is expected to reach families on May 28.

    Despite these robust investments in child benefits on a federal level, unfortunately, the same cannot be extended to the provincial Alberta Child and Family Benefit (ACFB). While the provincial benefit – which was revamped from the previous Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit and collapsed into a single program in July 2020 – does provide a 15-per-cent increase in benefits for the lowest-income families compared to the previous iteration of the program, the benefit levels drop off more quickly as incomes rise.

    For example, a dual-income family with two children that made an annual household income of $41,000 would have received $2,640 in benefits in the previous program. Under the current ACFB, this same family would only receive $2,296. Every penny counts when you are raising children and even small reductions set families back. Moreover, the fact that these changes were implemented as Alberta was plunged into a pandemic as families were forced to navigate various restrictions did not make life easier for many working families. In addition, there have not been any plans to bring in pandemic-related enhancements to act as a bridge between the boosts to the federal program.

    To be sure, the province did announce a one-time payment of $561 per child through the Working Parent Benefit for March 2021. While this measure was helpful, this benefit was only available to parents with children enrolled in a child care program, limiting the reach and scope of the relief.

    If we are to emerge from the other side of this pandemic fully intact, more robust relief measures that prioritize the well-being of families and children in contending with rising costs are needed from the provincial government. A re-tooling of the ACFB to be responsive to upheavals like the pandemic has the potential to transform the program to be nimble and dynamic. Allowing the provincial program to be under-utilized only furthers the risk of families that are already struggling and falling even further behind. A complete and successful recovery for families needs robust co-ordination between both orders of government.

    Sydney Sheloff is Research Officer for the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

    Brett Lambert is Community Engagement Coordinator for the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

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  • fACT Sheet — C5 Collaborating for Change

    fACT Sheet — C5 Collaborating for Change

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    Introduction

    C5 is a group of Edmonton-based agencies working toward collective action in the community since 2015. Together, they’ve established a collaborative model that improves service delivery and works to overcome systemic barriers.

    About C5

    The C5 collaborative comprises five local organizations:

    Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society
    Boyle Street Community Services
    Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
    Norwood Child & Family Resource Centre
    Terra Centre for Teen Parents

    These organizations staff more than 700 and serve over 30,000 people in Edmonton. They work to shape policy and decisions that reflect the realities and hopes of Edmontonians.

    Goal of the Collaborative

    Though each organization functions independently as an agency, the collaborative supports more effective programming and leads to positive changes for children, youth, and families.

    With a strong, unified voice, the group is in a better position to impact decision-making and to dismantle systemic barriers that affect service users.

    Program Overview

    The collaborative works in community on:

    * Ubuntu: The Ubuntu CSD (Collaborative Service Delivery) Program is an innovative approach to child and family support, which leverages a network of partner agencies and Children’s Services to create customized support for children, youth, and families in Northeast Edmonton. Ubuntu offers a continuum of culturally aligned, community-based, family and child centered services. Collectively, with Boyle Street as the lead agency, Ubuntu is one point of access to a streamlined set of services that
    leverages the expertise of five networks to meet the needs of families, children, and youth.
    * North East Hub and Market: The Hub is an initiative that integrates service delivery and fosters connections. This community centre is an exciting social innovation project. Alongside the Hub is the new Essentials Market, which offers not only fresh food and pantry items, but also baby supplies, hygiene products, smudge kits, pet supplies, and arts & crafts packages.

    Programs at the Hub focus on children, youth, parents & caregivers, seniors, employment, mental health, collective kitchens, and culture. A few highlights include:

    * Employment Hub: Individuals can access support for activities such as resumé writing, interview prep, job searches, and career counselling.
    * Early Childhood Development: Children and parents are invited to participate in family events, literacy groups, and learning & development activities.
    * Youth Programming: Youth are welcome to take part in homework support groups, life and job skills development, and a variety of social groups.
    * Caregiver Supports: Evidence-based, participant-led, and Indigenous parenting programming is offered in group settings. One-on-one, in-home visitation, and community outreach are also available for those requiring additional supports.
    * Cultural & Community Services: Individuals are encouraged to join community members and staff in smudges, English classes, or to get help with filing taxes.

    Currently the Hub and Market serve 2,400 community members.

    How Does the Collaborative Work?

    Each organization has an Executive Director, and together they are responsible for the collaborative’s programs and initiatives.

    As non-profits, each organization has their own Board of Directors, which meet as a group once a year.

    There is also a C5 Managers Table that oversees the work of the North East Hub.

    Grant applications are led by the most appropriate agency, depending on the content and anticipated outcomes. Ongoing funding from the Edmonton Community Foundation, the City of Edmonton, and the provincial government allows C5 to continue its work.

    Collective Action

    There are five core elements that are critical to the success of C5:

    *Focus on action
    * An appetite for risk
    * Living the C5 commitment within agencies
    * Relationships that are strengths-based and rooted in mutual respect
    * Backbone support

    Members of the collaborative take part in communities of practice, joint professional development, opportunities to connect and exchange ideas and knowledge, and represent the collaborative at events.

    They also represent their communities, and bring these voices to decision-making tables.

    For More Information

    C5edmonton.ca
    www.edmontonnortheasthub.com

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  • fACTivist Feature Article: How Collecting Race-Based Data Can Address Systemic Racism in Public Education

    fACTivist Feature Article: How Collecting Race-Based Data Can Address Systemic Racism in Public Education

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    Note: this is excerpted from the Spring 2021 edition of our fACTivist publication. The Edmonton Social Planning Council, in collaboration with volunteers and colleagues within the sector, strives to provide stakeholders and community members with updates on ESPC’s activities and projects, including articles and initiatives that address a variety of pertinent issues that affect our community.

    Written by Michael Janz

    I commend the Edmonton Social Planning Council on their report, Confronting Racism with Data: Why Canada Needs Disaggregated Race-Based Data, which calls for disaggregated race-based data across Canada. Educational policies especially must consider how outcomes ranging from achievement, discipline, or attendance data are impacted by racism.

    As an 11-year Edmonton Public School Trustee, here are a few of my reflections for action for Edmonton Public Schools, Edmonton, and Alberta. As Edmonton Public Schools start to collect this data, public pressure will mount for Edmonton Catholic, Elk Island, Sherwood Park, Calgary, and other school districts to do the same. The ability to quantify the impacts of racial injustice, beyond anecdotal evidence, provides clear patterns and trends to support the need to create change and address the existing inequities through appropriate interventions.

    When You Know Better, You Can (and Should) Take Action to Do Better

    Race-based data allows the district to identify gaps in the delivery of education, which in turn will lead to the development of better programming to ensure student success. The areas are not restricted to achievement, discipline, and attendance. 

    In September 2020, Edmonton Public Schools became the first school jurisdiction in Alberta to commit to collecting race-based data. You can read the recommendation report that was passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees here. Trustees voted unanimously to collect the data with the intention to identify and address gaps that exist in education for racialized communities. We have heard these concerns from members of the community over a number of years about gaps and inequities, and now we are going to measure and act accordingly. 

    The Toronto District School Board has been collecting race-based data since 2006. Ontario began collecting data as a province in 2006. 

    Alberta School Boards are required to report on disaggregated student achievement data for students who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, but there is no broader collection of race-based data. This model has been billed as a significant undertaking and could take up to two years. Engagement is underway with community partners.

    Nothing About Us, Without Us

    We know that data can be misused, so conversations about communities impacted by racism—especially to protect family concerns regarding privacy and use of data—are essential. However, school boards have collected and reported on self-identified First Nations data for at least 20 years, as has Toronto and Ontario, so clearly there are working models that could allow us to move quickly.

    Additionally, we need to make sure that data is not misused with a deficit lens and that we do not run into the same problems we’ve seen with school rankings. The problem is not the students—the problem is the surrounding context. 

    Addressing Racism in Education

    In June 2020, the Board of Trustees released a statement acknowledging that racism and discrimination exist in our Division and we have work to do to address this. 

    We are undertaking a number of initiatives such as:

    • Pushing pause on the School Resource Officer program to study the impacts, as well as removing the armed, uniformed, police officers until further notice.
    • Developing a model to collect race-based data for students within the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB).
    • Advocating to Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange to collect race-based data across Alberta.

    It is important to me and a number of other trustees that these measures are not limited to students, but that future boards implement greater disaggregated collection for staff and families as well.

    Maximizing Efficacy of Interventions

    With race-based data, you can target interventions and investments in strategies that support the students who need the most help. We know that funding cuts hurt our families, in particular the most vulnerable experiencing racism. Right now, in Edmonton Public Schools, we make certain budget decisions based on a neighbourhood social vulnerability index. We do not have the data to better target interventions based on varying intersections, such as socio-economics, race, and other factors. Many families are experiencing poverty—including refugee, Indigenous, and newcomer students and those from lower socio-economic areas that have disproportionately racialized populations. 

    Systemic Racism in Education Budgets

    When you look at the broken weighted average formula (which assigns more weight to recent data and less on past data) brought in by the provincial UCP government, fewer funds are flowing from the Legislature to the districts that are more urban and racially diverse. As a result, the students who need the most attention and support will be competing with a growing number of other students for a limited pool of money.

    Staffing and Leadership

    Edmonton’s student body and city are incredibly diverse; teaching staff, and particularly the administration, are less so. 

    Our staff pool is not reflective of that diversity, with visible minorities more represented in certain groups (custodial) than in teaching. Of school leadership, our principals are reflective of our teaching cohort and are not reflective of the racial diversity of the students and families they serve. Elected Public, Catholic, and Francophone School Trustees even less so. 

    Many big questions come to mind. Race and layoffs. Who do layoffs most affect? What can we do to increase the pool of available teachers at Concordia University or the University of Alberta? What are the barriers for completing high school in Edmonton and entering teacher college?

    Complex Solutions

    Seeds can’t grow in weeds and until we can pull out the weeds of poverty, racism, and injustice, the schools in our community garden will not truly flourish.

    A teacher can only impact a child for, at most, one-third of a day. Whether the child arrives at school ready to learn, is fed, properly clothed and supported, and can engage in learning has a dramatic impact on their ability to participate. Do they feel safe and that they belong at school? Did the transit police harass them on the way? Did the School Resource Officer profile them? After school, what opportunities for support, enrichment, or music can they experience? 

    Ending racism has been identified as one of the six game changers by End Poverty Edmonton. Data, including that collected and analyzed by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, clearly shows that there is a higher proportion of people of visible minority and Indigenous backgrounds experiencing poverty than other groups.

    Systemic Racism is One Thing, Actual Racism is Another

    Outside of our school buildings, we need actual enforcement of public safety for all of us. We need to prosecute hate crimes and not allow a dismissal by police services. Measures by municipalities can be taken to bylaws that ban racist symbols such as tiki torches at protests. If we can ban conversion therapy in Edmonton, surely we can put forward even stronger action to end racism and discrimination.

    Over the last decade, we’ve seen at EPSB enormous strides in our work to create a sense of belonging for sexual orientation and gender identity among our students, staff, and families. We need to build on, and do better with, an intersectional lens for all groups. 

    Beyond EPSB policies, we need provincial change. I put forward a motion in October 2020 (passed unanimously) for the provincial curriculum to be explicitly anti-racist and for funding, professional development, and anti-racism training to be available for teachers.

    The Next School Board Election

    Ask your school board trustees: are they going to demand disaggregated data from all orders of government? Are they willing to be thoughtful, open, and transparent about their own district operations?

    Conclusion

    Racism and discrimination exist in everything from policing to traffic safety. Recently the city of Portland, Oregon found a way to expedite safe streets because they realized (using data) that harm was disproportionately affecting people based on race and income. If race-based data can help us create safer streets, the potential for our classrooms are enormous.

    Michael Janz is a three-term trustee of Ward F for the Edmonton Public School Board.

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    Click on image to view online.

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  • fACT Sheet – COVID-19 and the Islamic Community

    fACT Sheet – COVID-19 and the Islamic Community

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    Introduction

    When lockdowns began as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) partnered with the Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) to deliver a survey on the needs of clients in the social services sector.

    Working collaboratively, ESPC and IFSSA prepared survey questions jointly and conducted the survey through Survey Monkey with translation and data collection support from a team of IFSSA volunteers. Overall, 68 respondents replied to the survey, 6 responses were removed from the analysis because they did not wish to be in the summary, making a total of 62 respondents for this report.

    Findings

    What Does This Mean?

    While just under 20% of respondents had partial knowledge, no knowledge, or an uncertain amount of knowledge on COVID-19, 32% did not have the resources required to practice physical distancing. This means that there are clients who are knowledgeable about how to protect themselves from COVID, but still struggle to be able to follow the restrictions due to other barriers of access.

     

    What Does This Mean?

    Though just over 45% of respondents claim their preferred information source is government sources, in actuality respondents are equally consuming information from social media sources and government sources, alongside friends and family and other Sources like home language news channels on television.

    This provides valuable insights for Governments and other non-profit agencies looking to communicate information to Islamic community members. One important piece of information is that it can be useful to have mixed-media sources for providing information. It is also essential to consider that social media sources could include sources like YouTube videos in the native languages of participants. This means if governments and other agencies wish to share information that will reach migrant clients, it can be beneficial to ensure that translated information is available in an auditory format so that people can listen to the information if they are unable to read.  

    What Does This Mean?

    Currently, the top challenges for IFSSA clients are feeling lonely and trapped (58%) as well as mental health concerns (47%). These results call into focus the desperate need for mental health supports and access for clients, and are particularly telling due to the fact that for many of IFSSA’s clients the topic of mental health can be taboo. These results also call into question whether agencies have been over-focusing on food security as a primary concern rather than looking at the complete resources clients would need to face the challenges of the pandemic. While it is indeed possible that protective actions early in the pandemic have allowed food access to be less of a concern now at 32%, it is also an important call to both agencies and funders to look to be more flexible and adaptive in their services, as well as to give a keen focus towards mental health resourcing and social supports as a core part of their services moving forward.

    Conclusions

    This study brought forward key issues such as the importance of increasing mental health access for marginalized communities, reconsidering communication strategies from governments towards immigrant demographics, and ensuring we look at the holistic picture of clients when designing supports. The original hope for the research was that it could be done across Edmonton with shared questions throughout the social services sector to better understand the pandemic and emerging issues for clients as they arose. While the survey was carried forward this time solely by IFSSA, there is hope in the future for cross-agency cooperation on research. If you are from a social services agency and would like to partner in future research projects, please contact Omar Yaqub at omary@islamicfamily.ca.

     

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  • The fACTivist – Spring 2021 – Focus on Race and Equity

    The fACTivist – Spring 2021 – Focus on Race and Equity

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    The fACTivist is the ESPC’s quarterly newsletter. It offers articles on a variety of pertinent social issues, as well as providing updates on Council activities and projects, and profiles of ESPC staff and board members.

    In this issue, we focus on race and equity. Contents of articles include:

    • Exploring Race-Based Data Needs by Jenn Rossiter
    • How Collecting Race-Based Data Can Address Systemic Racism in Public Education by Michael Janz
    • A Renewed Commitment to Anti-Racism for Social Agencies by Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers’ Anti-Racism Working Group
    • Addressing Racialized Populations’ Barriers to Affordable Housing by Sydney Sheloff and Brett Lambert
    • How Have Members of Edmonton’s Islamic Community Been Doing During the Pandemic? A Summary of Survey Results by Omar Yaqub and Asheika Sood
    • Bell Let’s Talk Day: Social Initiative or PR Ploy? by Aastha Tripathi
    • New Social Well-Being Tracker launches by Sandra Ngo
    • Concordia University Practicum Student Reflects on Her Placement with the ESPC by Aastha Tripathi

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