SOCIAL PRIORITIES

For more than a decade, the population of the Outaouais region has been growing very fast, attracting people from far and wide. As a result, the social profile of the region has been transformed. There is a rural exodus, yet the city cannot provide enough jobs for newcomers from the rural areas. Over 32% of students drop out before earning their secondary school certificate. Availability of social housing is limited. Community agencies must deal with an increasingly large number of clients, and they have limited resources to do so. People feel excluded, and many suffer from considerable psychological distress.

To meet these challenges, Centraide Outaouais focuses on three major priorities:

1. Take action on issues that put families and individuals at risk
2. Build community capacity and facilitate social participation for all
3. Support communities from a lifespan development perspective

1. Take action on issues that put families and individuals at risk

It takes action to meet basic needs (food, housing and clothing) and support individuals’ and families’ social networks.

Facts

• 21.2% of the Outaouais population lives below the low income threshold, and single-parent families make up 25.6% of that figure;
• nearly 10% of people over 65 years of age live alone;
• every year, 3150 children, or 5.6% of the total number, become wards of children’s aid because of abuse.

CENTRAIDE OUTAOUAIS INVESTS, INNOVATES AND ACHIEVES RESULTS

• emergency food cupboard (groceries), community cafeterias, soup kitchens, meals-on-wheels, collective kitchens;
• emergency food and shelter for the homeless, housing assistance with community support for low-income, vulnerable people;
• activities to equip parents to provide a better home environment for their children;
• support for frail and elderly people (home visits, assistance with appointments, coffee meetings, etc.);
• youth drop-in centres providing opportunities for meetings, discussions and education and prevention activities.

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2. Build community capacity and facilitate social participation for all

It supports agencies working with the most vulnerable persons and communities.

CENTRAIDE OUTAOUAIS INVESTS, INNOVATES AND ACHIEVES RESULTS

• by supporting 73 community agencies, 2 programs and 5 community development initiatives;
• by providing training to 500 employees and volunteers of community agencies.

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3. Support communities from a lifespan development perspective

Organizations are already well established in each community. They have the capacity to work together on common issues. Centraide is working with them to strike partnerships and form a long human chain of community action and support.

CENTRAIDE OUTAOUAIS INVESTS, INNOVATES AND ACHIEVES RESULTS

• by helping to carry out collective projects launched by members of the community; by sitting on the committee against urban homelessness and the consultative table on food security and community development.

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