collaboration

The Challenge

YRAEH has been working on three collaborative HPI-funded projects that focus on Transportation, Capacity Building, and Street Health. In the past, we have had three individual working groups each focusing on these projects as separate topics.  Because of the time commitments for three sets of meetings, it has been difficult to involve management staff directly, which left a gap in the decision-making level.

Have you noticed how much time can get hijacked by meetings?  And they're all important meetings for a good reason that should probably be attended.  But unfortunately it takes time.  And eventually...we have to say no.  The Alliance recognizes and values the incredible contributions made by senior management staff of our member agencies. 

I spent the first three days this week at the Ontario Public Health Association 2009 Annual Conference and wow, am I glad that I went.  I was especially happy to see that the OPHA and public health in general is shifting to place a greater emphasis on health equity.  The conference, which had a theme of Building for the Future, was filled with presentations and discussions about plans to address social determinants of health to improve health outcomes among marginalized individuals. 

"Our recent project working on the transportation needs of the homeless is just one example of the leadership role the York Region Alliance to End Homelessness has taken.  They were able to co-ordinate and facilitate the needs assessments, and focus groups.  As one agency this is something we would be hard pressed to find the time to do, but participating and giving information to one central organization made it all work."

"Everybody was there [at the Transportation Working Group], because we are all in the same region, so it was just like: it’s not that it’s my planet, it’s our planet. It was just the whole idea of how we can serve the most people, and we looked at the geography as well. Who needed gas more than bus tickets?"

“HPI and the York Region Alliance to End Homelessness have been the catalyst for a remarkable new collaboration between two neighbourhood agencies.

Ending homelessness and reducing poverty can only happen through collective action. Working together through collaborative efforts, we can build the inclusive, healthy and sustainable communities we want. 
 
We believe it’s important to have a shared aspiration of what we are trying to achieve, a shared understanding of the problems we are working on, a willingness to invest time and resources and a commitment to act. 
 

The Team Collaboration Portal is be a private intranet that has project group spaces to allow different working group teams to post relevant files and have their own conversations. Only working groups members are allowed to view and post content within designated project group spaces.

If you are a member of a working group of the York Region Alliance to End Homelessness, please log in through the Team Collaboration Portal.