• • • •
Mutual Funds Retirement Counselling Tax Investment Planning Life & Disability Insurance* *Insurance products provided by HollisWealth® are provided through HollisWealth® Insurance Agency Ltd.
Formerly
Business Venture
Inside:
Activity & Events Guide
® Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence.
www.rlproyalcity.com www .rlproyalcity y..com m
FREE CONSULTING
Glen L. Barckert CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
HollisWealth® Advisory Services Inc.
13 Paisley St., Guelph N1H 2N5 www.holliswealth.com 519-823-2790
Local Business News–Activities & Events April/May 2016
“Not only are people experiencing homelessness but also experiencing a number of other challenges in their lives.” Randalin Ellery, Coordinator of the Guelph and Wellington Task Force on Poverty Elimination
1 lyon avenue, guelph 519.766.0001
jmoran@lyonfinancial.ca
MakingMoney ForYou.com
JOHN MORAN TEL
519.766.0001
TOLL FREE 1.877.ONE.LYON FAX 519.766.1521 JOHN@MAKINGMONEYFORYOU.COM
www.premiumhrsolutions.com
519-824-2428 Staffing & Recruitment Services
Provide a helping hand for homeless in Guelph and area For Venture Guelph Publications Ltd. The Guelph & Wellington Task Force on Poverty Elimination looking to the public to help remedy problems of homelessness. “During the last week of April we will be mobilizing volunteers to conduct a 20-minute health and well-being survey with people experiencing homelessness,” said coordinator of the poverty task force Randalin Ellery. “Approximately 360 in Guelph and Wellington were experiencing homelessness” said Ellery of last April’s one-night count conducted by the county. “About 30 per cent of them (108 people) were facing absolute homelessness.” People suffering from absolute homelessness, the task force says, are often struggling with deep poverty, trauma, mental illness and addiction along with other complex medical problems. They’re out there but home-
lessness is not as visible here as it is in big cities where sleeping on the street or begging for money is readily apparent. “We don't necessarily see it in the same way but we know it exists in our community. Not only are people experiencing homelessness but also experiencing a number of other challenges in their lives,” said Ellery “There are people who are roughing it, camping during the warmer months. Our emergency shelters are active every night but there's also a lot of couch surfing going on,” she said. Volunteers helping with the survey will get to see and learn about homelessness first-hand. They will get to know homeless people and document their housing, health care and needs. Once survey results are shared and analyzed by service provider partners, the most vulnerable will be determined. Locally there
is a commitment “to housing 30 of our most vulnerable homeless community members” in the first six months after the week of surveying said a news release. “Most vulnerable” refers“those with complex needs and at risk of death from homelessness.” The local initiative is part of a national movement called the 20,000 Homes campaign that hopes to permanently house 20,000 most vulnerable homeless people by July 1, 2018. Guelph-Wellington 20,000 Homes campaign takes place from April 25-29. As its website notes, “On any given night in Guelph Wellington, approximately 130 individuals seek out emergency shelter while many more go undocumented sleeping rough, couch surfing or occupying otherwise unsafe or unfit spaces.” Those wanting to learn more or help the cause can visit ww.gw20khomes.ca
Speedvale Ave. Ave. W W., ., GUELPH Gordon Gordon St., GUELPH Stone Road Mall, GUELPH Alma St., ROCKWOOD
‘An incredibly brave and powerful group’ There's a big difference between knowing a lot about being homeless and living it. No one knows this better than Randalin Ellery. As co-ordinator of the Guelph & Wellington Task Force on Poverty Elimination she gives talks on homelessness, poverty, and the vast issues her group faces, Yet, she is the first to admit that research, systems and data do not have the same impact as seeing and hearing first-hand from people who have lived life without a home. “I can share statistics, I can talk about the research but hearing from someone who has lived through it has so much more of an impact,” Ellery said. This is where Advance Your Voice 2 come in. It's a program where six men and three women with diverse experiences are willing to share their stories through public speaking engagements. “This is an incredibly brave and powerful group,” said poverty task force assistant co-ordinator Dominica McPherson in an email. “ It's not easy to tell your story, let alone publicly.” This second batch of speakers went through a six week public speaking program. “The program provides participants with the skills and support to share their stories with homelessness publicly and helps to give the realities of homelessness a louder and more broad voice in our community,” said McPherson. In the first round of Advance Your Voice, eight participants took part in 21 speaking engagements over the past two years. They told their stories at community events and schools as well as other venues. If interested in booking an Advance Your Voice 2 go to www.gwpoverty.ca
Venture Guelph Publications Ltd.
519-824-1595 Independently owned and operated. Truly local. Mike Baker, Publisher New mailing address:
31A-328 Speedvale Ave., East, Suite 150, Guelph ON N1E 0J4
ventureguelph.ca
240 Victoria Rd. N., Guelph, ON N1H 6K9 (519) 822-0160 Toll Free: 1-800-263-1032 online quotes available at www.sutherlandinsurance.com