2024 | The Nogojiwanong-Peterborough Community Symposium on Housing and Homelessness
The Peterborough Drug Strategy (PDS) and the Research for Social Change Lab (RSCL) partnered to put on a symposium on housing and homelessness in Peterborough on February 22 & 23, 2024. This event was a follow-up to the housing forum held in May 2023. It focused on community collaboration and systems planning to help problem-solve the housing and homelessness crisis in Peterborough City and County.
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This two-day event involved several interactive presentations and action-oriented activities. The content covered focused on systemic issues and solutions around homelessness in Peterborough City and County. This symposium was intended to support the RSCL’s Priority Roadmap by gaining community consensus and action-planning steps in realizing these goals. In addition, the symposium carved out intentional time for networking, enabling knowledge exchange, partnerships, building connections, and resource sharing.
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Symposium Goals
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To mobilize, exchange, and confirm knowledge with local attendees representing lived expertise, frontline expertise, policy expertise, and research expertise.
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To action this knowledge locally through problem solving, strategizing, task distribution, and resource pooling.
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To continue conversations from the May housing forum and share and further develop the RSCL’s Priority Roadmap.
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To help establish new connections and collaborations between individuals who work in the homeless-serving sector, decision-makers, people who have living and lived experience, and interested community members.
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To identify priority items based on gaps and needs in the community and workshop the steps needed to realize these items.
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To conduct a strategic analysis of power, shape key priorities and actions, and action-plan steps in realizing these goals.
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​This event was generously supported by the Government of Canada through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, the United Way as the Community Entity, and the Research for Social Change Lab (RSCL), which is partly funded through the Canada Research Chair program. Trent University also kindly contributed their space at Catharine Parr Traill College. It was organized by the Research for Social Change Lab, A Question of Care (QoC), and Peterborough Drug Strategy (PDS) Partners.