Jane's blog

Who knew? It was pointed out to me recently that on the back of a $20 bill there are stunning images of aboriginal art and there is a powerful quote from Gabrielle Roy "Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?"

Winter has arrived this week and it has significant impact on individuals who have been staying outside and organizations who are providing emergency winter shelter.  It's -10^oC and there is a biting wind. 

Last night in Richmond Hill there was a community meeting that brought together representatives from faith communities in Richmond Hill and Markham, individuals wanting to learn more about the issue of homeless women in York Region and members of the Community Team who are working to ensure that we have emergency shelter and other support services for single women. As a member of the Community Team, I was part of a panel telling the story of how we got to this point; the 4 year journey to raise awareness about the crisis facing vulnerable single women across York Region.

A few anecdotes as we approach the weekend.  I attended a meeting this week and had a conversation with individuals working in the employment services sector in York Region and heard about the volume of people looking for work as a result of the recession.  There is a lot of stress out there as people who have not faced the prospect of looking for work adapt to their new reality.  Organizations that provide supports to these individuals are also under a lot of pressure.

The countdown is on for the launch of our new web site November 1^st. More content to write – editing to be done, design details to tweak. We are excited and full of anticipation about the different approach to the site that reflects the new collaborative solutions focus to our work. We want to use social media tools to create space for more dialogue and broaden the circle of people engaged in this work.