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2. ACT ON COMMUNITY PRIORITIES
Demonstrate that community collaboration works.
Use community-wide and targetted approaches to address community priorities.
A. Promote culturally safe and integrated services and supports across the community for women, men, families and children by
• developing and providing community-wide training and support to adopt and implement standards, protocols, policies and practices in services and settings (e.g. housing, employment, mental health, education, social services, counselling, etc.).
• supporting the Friendship Centre to become the “go-to” for cultural safety training will help build its capacity to continue providing training as new or specific needs are identified.
• strengthening the availability of cultural resources to offer community services access to traditional healers, Elders, etc. providing advice, workshops to help increase knowledge, skills.
• improving services and procedures including First Point of Contact (intake procedures), better linkages and smoother transitions between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal services, and addressing gaps and issues.
B. Support specific service sector/industry initiatives primed for action
• leaders and partnerships are already in place (e.g. labour, housing, mental health), priorities and next steps are already determined, potential funding sources identified, etc. For example, U-ACT’s research findings are directly contributing to the provincial 10 Year Housing Strategy and CURA (Community-University Research Alliance) may recommend that they be used to help set housing standards for northeastern Ontario.
• each initiative will have its own tailored work plan including objectives, budget, timeframe and evaluation.
3. INCREASE CAPACITY
Secure longer term funding to establish a more sustainable infrastructure and become an Urban Aboriginal Strategy site.
A. Use consulting, writing and training supports to increase internal capacity of project team and the Friendship Centre to seek, secure and manage funding
B. Provide consultation and training support to the CAC and other partnerships and networks to strengthen community-wide capacity to seek, secure and manage funding and become an Urban Aboriginal Strategy site.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 87