City of Brantford Community Resource Navigation Team

By: Abigail Apenteng

January 2025

OMSSA is featuring several 2024 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from the City of Brantford below. 

The Community Resource Navigation Team at OMSSA's 2024 Policy Conference.

In 2024, the City of Brantford Ontario Works partnered with Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) to implement a one-year resource navigation service delivery approach focused on improving recipients’ overall well-being which aims to:

• Reduce wait-times for social assistance and/or avoiding the need to enter the social assistance system altogether
• Decrease length of time on social assistance
• Increase referrals to Employment Ontario and other community supports
• Expediate exits from social assistance
• Increase referrals to community supports
• Evaluate the extent of impact and value of this approach compared with the current service delivery model

Using integrated and person-centered service delivery, participants receive the support of a Service Coordinator, responsible for all administrative and eligibility matters and a Comunity Resource Navigator who provides in-person supports and connections to City of Brantford and community supports such as Employment Ontario, housing stability, and primary health care with a focus on improving recipients’ overall well-being.

To date, the Community Resource Navigation Pilot has demonstrated promising results including:

• Increased referrals to support clients’ employment goals
• Increased rapport between staff and clients
• Increased frequency of supports provided
• Enhanced collaboration and support across service delivery partners and systems

Feedback from participants has been positive. One shared:

"If it was not for the assistance of Ontario Works, this would not have been possible. I give permission for you to show your boss what OW did for me. This is absolutely amazing and my self-confidence just came back."

In building and throughout the pilot phase, Wilfrid Laurier University has provided case studies, analysis of similar models of service delivery, and recommendations. They are analyzing all project data and will be providing a formal program evaluation upon its completion in December 2024.

The City of Brantford is interested in hearing from other CMSMs who are using similar models.

About the Author

Abigail serves as a Manager in the Family and Income Stability division for the City of Brantford. Abigail holds a Bachelor’s of Honours in Social Work from York University. With over 16 years of experience across three municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, she has also spent over seven years as a supervisor, honing her expertise in leadership, client service, life stabilization, and fostering self-sufficiency. She is a passionate leader dedicated to coaching, mentoring, and fostering the success and growth of those she works with. Her dedication to assisting individuals from diverse backgrounds in achieving their full potential continues to drive her impactful career in social work.