Program Speakers Registration Accommodation
Please note: Speakers may change and will be added as we get closer to the Policy Conference. Please visit our speakers page to learn more about our invited guests.
Conference program may change at any time without notice. Some session descriptions include resources members can read in advance of the Conference.
Please view our Program at a Glance by clicking here.
WELCOME RECEPTION
TIME TBD
Room: TBD
OMSSA is pleased to invite our 2024 Policy Conference attendees to our Welcome Reception on December 3rd. Members looking to register ahead of the start of the Conference on December 4th can visit the Registration Desk to pick up their badges.
SPONSOR PRESENTATION
TIME TBD
Room: TBD
8:00AM to 8:45AM ET
Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
Land Acknowledgement and Opening Remarks:
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
This plenary focuses on an economic and policy discussion.Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
A Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony will take place between OMSSA and AMO with remarks made by both organizations.Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
Session description coming soon.Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
1:15PM to 2:35PM
Room: TBD
Working with collaborators from three mid-sized Ontario cities and an Advisory Group comprised of three people with lived experiences of homelessness, we created a documentary, Bridging Divides: Voices & Visions on Homelessness, using a brokered dialogue approach.
Throughout the documentary, stakeholder groups including people with lived experience of homelessness, law enforcement and community (e.g., municipalities and social service organizations, private citizens, and businesses improvement associations) engage in a discussion on their perspectives regarding homelessness, the use of public and semi-public spaces, and public safety.
The session will screen Bridging Divides (45 mins) and engage participants in an interactive Q&A focused on how mediated dialogues might be used as an innovative process for cross-sectoral and stakeholder collaboration in response to homelessness and community concerns.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
Canada’s aging population is rapidly growing, as are their needs for more options through the aging continuum of care that can be tailored to them throughout their journey.
There are already many cost-effective models that municipalities are championing, some of which pioneered by AdvantAge Ontario members such as Supportive Housing, Campuses of Care, and Community Wellness Hubs.
Other models such as Nursing Home Without Walls can help seniors remain at home by connecting them with long term care services, which has proven to be successful in New Brunswick.
This presentation will feature municipal leaders and will outline options that are already in place across the country and in Ontario, in the hopes that it will spur more municipalities to adopt these approaches and build the momentum for provincial government participation on a wide scale from both a policy and funding perspective.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
This session focuses on building capacity in not-for-profit child care.Room: TBD
Recently there has been a flurry of reports regarding the state of the Employment Service Transformation in Ontario. These reports have highlighted several challenges with the transformation including warehousing Social Assistance clients; negative impacts to former ODSP-ES providers; lack of transparency from the government; service provider sustainability; administrative burden; failed integration of Social Assistance and Employment Ontario; transactional services; and ultimately vulnerable people left behind.
However, these reports have been heavily focused on service delivery by for-profit SSM. Quietly there has been five public sector SSMs trying to bring to life the ideals of this transformation: locally responsive services; client centred supports; and services accountable to generating sustainable and meaningful employment outcomes.
Engage in an interactive discussion with public sector Employment SSMs regarding alternatives to the narrative above. Windsor, London, Bruce County, Durham Region & Fleming College will provide practical and actionable strategies that can be used in any catchment, regardless of the SSM. Engage in conversation with the SSMs to get the inside scope regarding what is possible, and what are the real limitations of the transformation. The session is not intended to highlight best practices, but to share how best practices can inform every CMSM and DSSAB in the province.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
2:50PM to 4:10PM
Room: TBD
Presentation #1
On May 28, 2024, the Roadmap the End Homelessness by 2030 was presented by City of Greater Sudbury Community Development staff to Council and was unanimously approved. The Roadmap to End Homelessness outlined 26 recommendations to reach functional zero homelessness through a housing first approach by 2030, with an estimated cost of approximately $350 million, through investments from federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
The Roadmap to End Homelessness by 2030 included several recommendations to increase access to housing for individuals experiencing homelessness, as evidence highlights that the provision of sufficient affordable and secure housing significantly decreases the number of households who will experience homelessness.
In early 2024, City of Greater Sudbury Planning Services staff developed a Housing Supply Strategy which aims to ensure that all current and future residents in Greater Sudbury have access to housing options that meet their needs and is attainable at all income levels. The Strategy contains a series of action items targeting known gaps in housing supply.
In order to achieve recommendations included within the Roadmap to End Homelessness focused on housing, Community Development staff have partnered with Planning Services staff to ensure alignment between the Housing Supply Strategy and the Roadmap to End Homelessness to accelerate progress on affordable housing development.
This presentation will outline highlights from the Roadmap to End Homelessness and Housing Supply Strategy development process, opportunities for coordination between the two strategies to increase the supply of housing in the community, and progress to date.
Presentation #2
This interactive workshop will introduce participants to Amanda Buchnea’s preliminary doctoral research project’s findings, examining Ontario community homelessness planning processes and community engagement. The aim of the research is to generate a deeper understanding of origins and practice of community homelessness planning. It also explores the complexity communities navigate when developing and implementing plans with the collaboration and engagement of community members with lived expertise, including youth. The research is intended to create useful knowledge resources that can inform housing and homelessness service coordinators, planners, and policymakers as they navigate this important issue in their communities. During the workshop, preliminary research findings will be presented, with an opportunity for participants to reflect and draw on their own experiences to discuss points of interest, questions, and ideas to inform the next stage of the research and knowledge mobilization.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
This session focuses on working with people with mental health and addiction issues.Room: TBD
Session description coming soon.Room: TBD
Presentation #1
Ontario Works Brantford-Brant is conducting pilot to enhance our client service pathway. By providing community resource navigators to support the hands-on functions of case management alongside our service coordinators’ focus on ongoing eligibility, we aim to improve client outcomes and better meet our provincial targets.
With evaluation by Wilfrid Laurier University, we hope to imbed best practices (and lessons learned) into our work moving forward. Join us in a conversation about why we decided to undertake the pilot, what a community resource navigator does, and what the evaluation is telling us so far.
Presentation #2
Many clients have been on social assistance for years, which begs the question - Why? In their search for answers, the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) believed the lack of access to a healthcare practitioner prevented clients from returning to work or accessing the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Through innovative partnerships and collaborative efforts, CDSB created a 1-year pilot project that aimed to enhance client access to healthcare. The project findings expose significant social challenges that affect client health, quality of life, and success, while also impacting Ontario Works caseloads. Join CDSB as they share details about their public health partnership pilot project which helped shape sustainable pathways to enhanced health services for social assistance clients.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
8:00AM to 8:45AM ET
Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
Land Acknowledgement and Opening Remarks:
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
This plenary focuses on a roundtable discussion with the ADMsRoom: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
10:55AM to 12:15PM
Room: TBD
Session description coming soon.Room: TBD
Public housing resources in Ontario are rare and precious considering the current homelessness crisis in Canada. Communities are looking for ways to maximize the good use of public resources to ensure people can find a home. Indwell and the Region of Waterloo are partnering to create good housing and opportunities for stability at two regionally operated multi-residential buildings. Implementation of a whole of community approach to support has produced noticeable changes in tenant stability, building aesthetics and sense of community safety.
This presentation identifies the core attributes of successful partnership with a focus on overcoming challenges through thoughtful dialogue and decision-making based on evidence. We will explore what aspects of this partnership matter the most and how it can be replicated.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
Since the implementation of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan, the province has seen a significant increase in demand from parents wanting to access licensed child care. As the demand for child care spaces grows, we have learned that families using Child Care Subsidy often face additional barriers to accessing licenced child care spaces, and there are no longer vacant spaces available for families that may need a space urgently due to a family crisis.
The Region of Waterloo has implemented two pilots aimed at increasing equity of access to child care for vulnerable or low-income families. These pilots support the local Access and Inclusion Plan created by the Region of Waterloo, as well as the Provincial Access and Inclusion Framework. In September 2023, Children's Services launched the Subsidy Access Pilot with initial participation of 14 child care sites. Child care sites participating in the pilot hold 20% of their spaces for children in receipt of Child Care Subsidy. In addition, all new child care centres or classrooms are required to hold 30% of their new spaces for children in receipt of Child Care Subsidy.
The Crisis Spaces Pilot is a collaboration between Children’s Services and the local Children’s Aid Agency in reserving spaces specifically for families experiencing a crisis. Both pilots will be reviewed in greater detail, including implementation strategies, cost, challenges, and feedback.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
Session description coming soon.
Presenters:
Room: TBD
Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer
Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)
This closing plenary focuses on the changing needs of social service users.