BRIDGING RURAL HOMELESSNESS AND WELL-BEING West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit 2024 Contents Bridging Rural Homelessness & Well-being Project ............................................................................................. 1 Direction of Travel ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Objectives ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Selkirk College Project Team............................................................................................................................. 1 Community Partners ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Funders ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit 2024 ....................................................................................... 2 Video ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Schedule............................................................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Event Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Indigenous Welcome ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Services Showcase ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Participants ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Monday, April 29: Dinner & Dialogue ................................................................................................................... 5 Keynote Speaker: Guy Felicella ......................................................................................................................... 5 Creating New Stories Together ......................................................................................................................... 6 Tuesday, April 30: Amplifying Voices & Developing Actions ................................................................................ 7 Project Overview and Event Tone-Setting ........................................................................................................ 7 Networking Activity .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Panel Discussions .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Persons with Lived / Living Experience Panel ............................................................................................... 8 Partner Panel ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Selkirk College Panel ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Open Space Activities ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Spring - Planting Seeds of SMART Actions .................................................................................................. 11 Early Summer – Watering the Garden and Nurturing of SMART Actions................................................... 11 Late Summer – Caring for the Maturing Garden of SMART Actions........................................................... 11 Fall – Harvesting the SMART Actions .......................................................................................................... 11 SMART Actions Summary............................................................................................................................ 12 15% Solutions.................................................................................................................................................. 13 Appendix A: Creating New Stories Together ...................................................................................................... 14 Appendix B: SMART Action Development Worksheets ...................................................................................... 41 i Bridging Rural Homelessness & Well-being Project The 2024 West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit was a part of Selkirk College’s applied research project Bridging Rural Homelessness & Well-being: A Sustainable and Collaborative Regional Response. The theme of the summit was “Inspiring Change: Building Community Solutions Together.” The summit took place in Trail on April 29 and 30, 2024. This is the project’s second summit, building on the momentum of the 2023 summit in Castlegar. One more summit will be hosted in Nelson in 2025. Direction of Travel The overall goal of the project is to improve the well-being of rural residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness living in and around the rural communities of Trail, Castlegar, and Nelson. Objectives The project aims to: • Conduct research for evidence-based decision-making. • Strengthen relationships for sustainable regional collaboration and response actions. • Build regional homelessness response capacity through college resources (faculty and students). • Disseminate lessons learned in the region and beyond. Selkirk College Project Team Jayme Jones (Project Director), Jennifer Reid, Rob Tanner, Jennifer Preston, Amber Streukens, Matthew Wheating, Leeza Perehudoff, and Christina Wahlers. Community Partners Anglican Parish of Kokanee (Nelson, Kaslo, and North Shore) City of Castlegar ANKORS City of Trail BC Housing Castlegar Community Harvest Food Bank City of Nelson Career Development Services - Trail Interior Health Authority Castlegar and District Community Service Society Kootenay Boundary Community Services Co-operative (The Koop) Castlegar Integrated Services Collaborative Circle of Indigenous Nations Society (COINS) Kootenay Career and Development Society Kootenay Savings Credit Union Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Navigation Table Trail & Area Regional District of Central Kootenay Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Nelson CARES Rossland Healthcare Auxiliary Nelson Committee on Homelessness Trail Community Action Team Nelson Community Services Trail FAIR Okanagan College Rural Empowered Drug Users Network (REDUN) Trail Skills Centre Trail United Church …with more partners still signing on Funders This project is funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Mitacs, with cash and in-kind contributions from community partners. The 2024 summit was also sponsored in part by BC Housing, City of Trail, and the Trail Community Action Team. 1 West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit 2024 This event aimed to bring together diverse perspectives and expertise from across the region and beyond to: • Share and Learn: Engage with diverse perspectives on rural homelessness and learn from those responding in innovative ways. • Build Relationships: Strengthen connections with others working toward improving the well-being of those experiencing homelessness. • Collaborate and Commit: Generate action ideas, build momentum, and leave with concrete steps, fostering community-driven solutions. Video A short video summary of the 2024 West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit can be found here. Artwork from a participant at the 2024 West Kootenay Homelessness Response Summit 2 Schedule APRIL 29: 5 PM – 9 PM • Indigenous Welcome • Project Overview and Tone-Setting • Services Showcase • Dinner • Keynote Presentation – Guy Felicella • Storytelling Activity – Creating New Stories Together APRIL 30: 9 AM – 5 PM • Services Showcase • Indigenous Welcome • Project Overview and Tone-Setting • Networking Activity • Lived-Experience Panel • Moment of Silence to Commemorate Those Lost to Toxic Drug Overdose • Partner Panel • Open Space Activity – SMART Actions: Spring Planting • Lunch • Selkirk College Student and Faculty Panel • Open Space Activities – SMART Actions: Early Summer Nurturing, Late Summer Maturing, and Fall Harvest • Closing Activity – 15% Solutions Acknowledgements GRAPHIC RECORDING: Thank you to Lisa Gates of Insightful Ink for providing live graphic recordings. FACILITIES: Thank you to the Columbo Lodge for hosting us at your venue. CATERING: Thank you to Kim’s Creations for catering the event. FUNDRAISER: Thank you to the Trail Community Action Team (TCAT) for hosting a mocktail bar and to all the attendees who contributed donations towards the TCAT. SUPPORT TEAM: Thank you to Tammy McLean, Diana Daghofer, and the volunteers from the Trail Community Action Team; Mayor Colleen Jones and Claire Samulak from the City of Trail; Naomi Bain from the Trail FAIR Society; and Sarge Hayden, Richard Hilde-Radulovich, Bob Hall, Adam Thomas, and the student volunteers from Selkirk College. 3 Event Overview Indigenous Welcome For both days of the summit, Métis Elder Myrt Servatius graciously welcomed us into our shared space, providing us with a territorial acknowledgment, and offering wishes for a successful event resulting in inspired actions. Services Showcase During the two-day event, local service providers were able to connect and share information with the diverse group of attendees. Around the venue were displays from Trail FAIR Society, Interior Health, ANKORS, Rural Empowered Drug Users Network, Trail Community Action Team, Moms Stop the Harm, Castlegar and District Community Services Society, Community Living BC, Freedom Quest Youth Services Society, and Mental Wealth Emergence. Participants Registrants for both days of the event signed up from across the West Kootenay region and beyond. Between the two days there were 220 participants with diverse perspectives. Participants self-identified from the following perspectives (they could identify more than one): 44 Persons with lived / living experience of homelessness 63 Employees of social service agencies / organizations 14 Elected officials 19 Government staff 65 Interested residents 24 Students 18 Employees of Selkirk College 12 Business community representatives 4 Monday, April 29: Dinner & Dialogue The first day of the summit was the Dinner and Dialogue event, co-hosted by the City of Trail and the Trail Community Action Team (TCAT), who kindly sponsored our keynote speaker. To begin, Jayme Jones, the Project Director for Bridging Rural Homelessness & Well-being, Mayor Colleen Jones from the City of Trail, and Tammy McLean from the TCAT welcomed attendees. Throughout the evening, participants had the opportunity to support TCAT by purchasing tickets for a mocktail bar. After our shared meal, Selkirk College faculty member Sarge Hayden introduced the keynote speaker, Guy Felicella. Keynote Speaker: Guy Felicella Guy Felicella, a harm-reduction advocate who battled addiction and homelessness, offered insight into the unique complexities associated with addiction and homelessness. During the presentation, Guy shared deeply personal experiences while stressing the importance of kindness and compassion, as well as harm reduction and recovery services, as key factors in supporting those experiencing addiction and homelessness. 5 Creating New Stories Together Following Guy’s presentation, attendees were invited to participate in a collective story-telling activity, “Creating New Stories Together.” In small groups, participants worked together to fill out storyboards based on six prompts, with the goal of answering the question, “What is needed to create a safe and inclusive community for all?” View all the stories developed by participants in Appendix A: Creating New Stories Together. Participant artwork from the Creating New Stories Together activity 6 Tuesday, April 30: Amplifying Voices & Developing Actions Project Overview and Event Tone-Setting To start the second day of the event, Jayme Jones offered participants a brief snapshot of the Bridging Rural Homelessness and Well-being project and the work done to date. She also covered the agenda for the day and reflected on experiences from the previous evening. Jayme set the tone for the day by discussing the complexity of homelessness and reminding the participants of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, emphasizing that without basic human needs being met, such as shelter, higher-level needs cannot be fulfilled. This important collective journey required creating a container where everyone could feel safe and empowered to share their perspectives. Below are the invitations and group agreements for working together: • • • • • Come as you are Welcome and encourage diversity of voices Invite participation from others where appropriate Listen to past experiences, focus on future possibilities Be curious: INTOIT moments (“I never thought of it that way”) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs • • • • • Respect everyone’s time Speak up – if you can’t speak on behalf of your organization, speak on your own behalf Keep personal / organizational information confidential Be both a safe space and a brave space Ask for what you need, offer what you can Networking Activity Our collaborative efforts began with getting to know people in the room. In pairs and over the course of 10minutes, participants asked each other the following questions: "What called you to come to this event? What do you hope to get from and give this group?" 7 Panel Discussions PERSONS WITH LIVED / LIVING EXPERIENCE PANEL This panel provided 15 individuals from across the West Kootenays with lived and living experiences of homelessness an opportunity to share insights with attendees. The group spoke about feeling as though they are ‘on display’ and the daily impacts of stigma and discrimination. Themes emerged about being disconnected from communities, the difficulties of living in a vehicle, and a lack of proper or adequate resources. The panel concluded with a minute of silence and candle-lighting in memory of those no longer with us. PARTNER PANEL This year’s partner panel brought together front-line workers and leadership of social service organizations from Trail, Castlegar, and Nelson to share their perspectives on regional homelessness response and how collaboration can support their goals. The panelists included: Reidun Rosi, Executive Director of Castlegar and District Community Services Society; Janet Morton, President of the Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society; Ty Wright, Integrated Crisis Response Nurse with Mental Health and Substance Use at Interior Health; and Cheryl Dowden, Executive Director of ANKORS. Cheryl spoke to additional services needed across the region during extreme weather events, Reidun shared about how she adapts her previous experience in urban areas to our rural context, Janet discussed how her organization supports community members, and Ty described his role and the intersections between mental health, substance use, and the stigma and barriers people experience when trying to access housing. To close the discussion, each panelist was asked for their thoughts on how the collective audience could contribute to forward movement and regional solutions. 8 SELKIRK COLLEGE PANEL The panel consisting of Selkirk College students and faculty offered an opportunity to share experiences and lessons learned in homelessness response, as related to coursework and work-integrated learning. • Rob Tanner, a Registered Nurse and Faculty Instructor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, mediated the panel and offered perspectives on the importance of compassionate interactions with people. • Pier Briggeman (recent Nursing graduate) and Christina Wahlers (recent Rural Pre-Medicine graduate) shared their experiences of providing outreach support and data collection for the 2023 Bridging Rural Homelessness & Well-Being Insights report, Voices of West Kootenay Service Users and Service Providers. • Roro Gyles (Social Service Worker student) spoke about the findings from his coursework project that provided insights into the impacts of stigma and the importance of regional collaboration. 9 Open Space Activities As part of the process to develop actions together, participants engaged in open space discussions. Open space offers a chance for participants to lead the conversation and bring their questions and expertise forward. Our open space theme was “Through the Seasons: From Ideas to SMART Actions.” Participants were invited to develop SMART Actions using the following prompts: S SPECIFIC: What exactly will be accomplished? M MEASURABLE: How will we know when this action has been successful? A ACHIEVABLE: Is this action achievable with effort and commitment? R RELEVANT: How will this action have an impact? T TIMELY: When can this action get started and when can it get completed? 10 The four stages (seasons) of SMART Action development were: SPRING - PLANTING SEEDS OF SMART ACTIONS • • Share ideas for homelessness response at table discussions. Assess interest and viability of ideas – what ideas should be developed further? EARLY SUMMER – WATERING THE GARDEN AND NURTURING OF SMART ACTIONS • • • SMART Action development of ideas. Who should be involved? What support is needed? LATE SUMMER – CARING FOR THE MATURING GARDEN OF SMART ACTIONS • • • Build out action steps. Consider possible obstacles and solutions. Consider lived/living experience and Selkirk College participation. FALL – HARVESTING THE SMART ACTIONS • Present SMART Actions to all summit participants. As a result of the open space discussions, eight SMART Actions were developed (see summary on next page). The worksheets used during the summit to develop these SMART Actions have more information about these actions and are found in Appendix B: SMART Action Development Worksheets. 11 SMART ACTIONS SUMMARY Name Community Kindness Campaign (Challenge) Description Lead A campaign to create more acts of kindness in Selkirk College Social Work West Kootenay communities with the goal of Faculty and Students building connections, relationships, and hope. Local Government Mini Summit – Focus on Funding A mini, half-day event hosted by Selkirk College Selkirk College Bridging Rural (specifically, the Bridging Rural Homelessness Homelessness and Well-being and Well-being research team) to bring Team (to bring LGs together together local government (LG) representatives and facilitation design) (elected officials and staff) to discuss homelessness at a regional level. Regional Anti-Stigma Program Using various means/arguments to help people Funded Community Action relate to the experience of stigma. Creating an Teams understanding of trauma, “othering,” and people’s rights and choices; painting a picture of “a day in the life”; and busting myths. Survey Discovery Develop and conduct a survey with the aim to Selkirk College Bridging Rural inform decision-makers and service providers Homelessness & Well-being on community members’ perceptions and Team understanding of homelessness and related service provision. Regional Child and Youth Family Committee Bring communities together to collaborate Freedom Quest Youth regarding youth and child issues. Anyone who Services Society serves children and youth will be invited to participate in committee meetings with the goal of making connections/introductions and identifying and addressing issues of concern. West Kootenay Housing Task Force A regional housing committee for Trail, Tri-chair with each local Castlegar, and Nelson to pool resources, apply government (Castlegar, for funding as a group, vet contractors, develop Nelson, Trail) – Meeri (City of healthy housing strategies, support Castlegar) & Jayme (Selkirk mentorship, and create workforce housing and College) will help get this off housing with supports. the ground, but need support from each local government A training structure to train, support, and Nelson Tenants Union (could facilitate peer and volunteer training that expand regionally) would be extended to various service users in spaces that they feel comfortable. This will expand advocacy resources for tenants with the aim to reduce evictions and increase empowerment. Support vulnerable populations in engaging Various stakeholders and with recreational activities with the intention community service providers of reducing stigma at the community/self– Who will get this started? stigma level. Peer and Volunteer Training for “Day to Day” Advocacy Peer Engagement – Stigma Reduction 12 15% Solutions To close out the event, participants were asked to consider their own personal 15% solutions. These are small steps that can be done immediately without more resources or authority. Participants answered the question, “What can you do NOW to help create a safe and inclusive community for all?” Some of the 15% solutions identified include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Say something when I hear misinformation and misconceptions Be a positive influence around my inner circle in regards to anti-stigma Donate clothes/blankets Look into volunteering options Bring someone a warm, healthy meal Be kind – always Make self-care a top priority Go out of my way to say “Hello. How are you?” (and mean it) Advocate for safe/supervised inhalation site Seek understanding about why people have different perspectives Be available and willing to listen to all points of view Promote kindness Take action on SMART goals Lead with compassionate curiosity Don’t underestimate the value of kindness! Meet people where they are at Believing I can make a difference Speak to the RDCK representative from my area to discuss regional approaches to addressing homelessness Find out how I can support local organizations in my region Find opportunity to build connection with all people in community Remember the little things do make a difference 13 Appendix A: Creating New Stories Together The following pages contain the stories created during the evening portion of the event after the keynote speaker. 14 r CRE/ . 1NG NEW STORIES TOGETHER: What is needed to create a safe and inclusive community for all? Who is the main character and where does the journey start? 2. Everyday ... What trigger/event happens? 3. One day ... V W­ I What actions and reactions happen next? people lolf..f•ce io f• t c. COl'\f\ec.+.o" • soc i ..f itof-tio,\ • .Peet, WI\ 11.,tppoNftl f i�ut •at'-'�- 'OMO 4. Because of that... peo�• depr�1se.l i t.olavteel 5. Because of that... 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