My apologies to those of you not based in Toronto. I know we've had this
debate on CLICK4HP before regarding the appropriateness of postings re
local initiatives, though I'm not certain what the outcome was. I do feel
this is a very interesting project, one that may be of interest to those
elsewhere, though the specific request for volunteers is more local in
nature.

Blake Poland
Behavioural Science
University of Toronto

-----------forwarded message----------------
I'm writing to advise you of an opportunity for someone to get involved on
a volunteer basis (could be an MHSc practicum, but need not be) to assist
the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, Social Isolation and Addictions in
the following tasks:

1. documenting the process used by the Task Group (a committee of consumers
and providers) in this project

2. small group facillitator - for a community forum on the 30th of April


The project and the forum are described in greater detail below.

Those who are interested should contact either:

        Blake Poland (Behavioural Science)
        978-7542  [log in to unmask]
or
        Calvin Kangara (project coordinator)
        465-8073


----------------------------------------------------------
SECTION A: OPPORTUNITY FOR PROCESS DOCUMENTATION/EVALUATION

A STUDY PROJECT ON ALTERNATIVE ADDICTION TREATMENT MODELS

The Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, Social Isolation and Addictions is
undertaking a project to develop new strategies for addressing compulsive
or chaotic drug and alcohol use among homeless and socially isolated
people.

Who Is The Ad Hoc Committee On Homelessness, Social Isolation And Addictions?
The Ad Hoc Committee is a coalition of service providers who work with
homeless, socially isolated and underhoused people in Toronto. It was
formed in 1994 to address the multiple burdens imposed by homelessness,
social isolation, and addictions. The committee is composed of a number of
agencies and individuals from across Toronto who work with or have a
particular stake in the population of interest. They include, The Fred
Victor Centre, Parkdale Community Health Centre (co-ordinating agency),
Sistering,       St. Christopher House, and West Central Community Health
Centres.

Project Rationale
Many of the people served by agencies in this coalition spend much of their
time involved in street life, and many are dependent on alcohol or drugs.
At this time responses to the multiple burdens placed on these
disenfranchised persons are fragmented and ineffective. Addictions
treatment services are rife with systemic barriers. The client's behaviour
is typically described as deviant
and he or she is seen as solely to blame for his or her situation, without
consideration of inherent systemic problems. Responses further damn the
client by demanding that he or she needs to change and very little or no
consideration is given to the obvious contributions of family and social
dynamics.

Expected Impacts Of The Project
The project expects to accomplish the following:

_ increase the knowledge base regarding the multiple burdens of
homelessness, social isolation and addictions;
_ provide practical models of service that meet the self-identified needs
of people who currently fall through the gaps;
_ assist existing agencies in being more responsive to the needs of the
population of interest, and hence more helpful;
_ provide the knowledge and impetus for organizational transformation;
_ have a beneficial impact on policy such that it will better meet the
needs of the population of interest;
_ enhance organizational co-operation and the sharing of resources;
_ validate the experience of the population of interest;
_ increase the capacity of consumers in addressing their own health needs
and create new partnerships between services and consumers.



How Is The Project Being Implemented?
The project is being implemented through a Task Force whose purpose is to
examine current services and develop short and long term strategies which
are appropriate and accessible. The Task Force is composed of not more than
twelve people who have a stake in the issues and reflect a cross-sectoral
experience from institutions to community.

Since consumers have a unique understanding of the effect on their lives of
the overlapping circumstances of homelessness, social isolation and
addictions, their input is essential in crafting new solutions to problems
which they have identified.

They are therefore being involved in all stages of this project. Their
opinions and expertise will be elicited in focus groups and individual
consultation in order to gain a true understanding of the strengths and
weaknesses of current addictions treatment. They are being fully involved
as members of the Task Group.

The Ad Hoc Committee is overseeing the implementation of the project. The
study project started in November 1996 and is expected to be completed in
October 1997.

Funding for the project has been provided by Trillium Foundation.

The Key Components Of The Project
In order to achieve the anticipated outcome, the project will undertake the
following key activities:

_ A one-day interactive Community Forum on Homelessness, and Social
Isolation. This session will offer an opportunity for all participants to
identify needs and systemic barriers and to discuss issues of treatment and
service provision. The forum will also provide education about new models
of service and facilitate networking;
_ A research study which will encompass an extensive review of the relevant
literature, focus groups, interviews and surveys with consumers and service
providers;
_ An Educational Public Forum to share the findings of the Task Group with
constituents and service providers and to explore opportunities for the
immediate implementation of these findings in existing programmes;
_ An Action Implementation Workshop aimed at helping organizations and
groups to implement models that are effective in their daily work with the
population of interest and;
_ A Summary Report on the project which will contain information gathered
through the field and academic research, the Educational Public Forum and
the Action/Implementation Workshop and a description of a Pilot
Project/model programme for addressing the compulsive or chaotic drug and
alcohol use among homeless and socially isolated people.

NB. details about the assignment we would like the potential volunteer to
undertake in documenting the process of the study.

The assignment and other information:

Documenting the process of the study will be one way in which the Task
Force (TF) will share and reflect upon their experiences.  The final
product is to be used as a learning material for others intending to
undertake research of a similar nature.

The assignment will involve documenting the process of the study-- how the
project was conceived, the organizational structure (who is in charge of
what), the data collection and process of analysis, the advantages and
limitations of such a study, obstacles encountered and how they could be
avoided in the future, etc. The volunteer is free to discuss with the TF
any key areas that need attention.

The (TF) coordinator and the secretary have been keeping records related to
the process of the study. These will be quite useful to the volunteer in
commencing her/his work. Such records will be kept on a regular basis by
the coordinator/secretary to facilitate the work of the volunteer in
documenting the process of the study. The volunteer is therefore not
necessarily required to be physically present on a daily basis to monitor
the study's process.

We would, however, appreciate it if the volunteer would attend some of the
(TF) meetings and focus groups as this may further broaden her/his insights
into the project. The (TF) meets twice per month. Focus groups will begin
by the end of May 1997 at which time we hope that the volunteer will have
began his/her assignment.

The stationery needed will be provided by the project. Costs to produce the
final product will also be met by the project. The volunteer will be
recocgnized for his/her work in the final research document.




----------------------------------------------------------
SECTION B: OPPORTUNITY TO BE SMALL GROUP FACILLITATOR FOR
           COMMUNITY FORUM ON APRIL 3, 1997, 10AM-5PM


COMMUNITY FORUM ON ADDICTION TREATMENT MODELS FOR THE HOMELESS AND SOCIALLY
ISOLATED

This forum is part of an ongoing study being undertaken on Alternative
Addiction Treatment Models.

The objectives of the Study on Alternative Addiction Treatment Models are to:

_ increase the knowledge base regarding the multiple burdens of
homelessness, social isolation and addictions;
_ provide practical models of service that meet the self-identified needs
of people who currently fall through the gaps;
_ assist existing agencies in being more responsive to the needs of the
population of interest, and hence more helpful;
_ provide the knowledge and impetus for organizational transformation;
_ have a beneficial impact on policy such that it will better meet the
needs of the population of interest;
_ enhance organizational co-operation and the sharing of resources;
_ validate the experience of the population of interest;
_ increase the capacity of consumers in addressing their own health needs
and create new partnerships between services and consumers.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the project will undertake the
following key activities:

_ An interactive Community Forum on Homelessness, and Social Isolation.
This session will offer an opportunity for all participants to identify
needs and systemic barriers and to discuss issues of treatment and service
provision. The forum will also provide an opportunity for all participants
to learn about each others models of service and facilitate networking;
_ A research study which will encompass an extensive review of the relevant
literature, focus groups, interviews and surveys with consumers and service
providers;
_ An Educational Public Forum to share the findings of the Task Group with
constituents and service providers and to explore opportunities for the
immediate implementation of these findings in existing programmes;
_ An Action Implementation Workshop aimed at helping organizations and
groups to implement models that are effective in their daily work with the
population of interest and;
_ A Summary Report on the project which will contain information gathered
through the field and academic research, the Educational Public Forum and
the Action/Implementation Workshop and a description of a Pilot
Project/model programme for addressing the compulsive or chaotic drug and
alcohol use among homeless and socially isolated people.


Details about the Interactive Community Forum

As stated earlier, the forum is one of the key activities through which the
general objectives of the study will be achieved.

Expected Outcome of the Forum
The expected outcome of the forum is that all participants will identify
and discuss needs, barriers and issues of treatment and service provision.
The participants will also have an  opportunity to share their experiences
on drugs/alcohol addiction treatment service and facilitate networking.

Date and Venue
The forum will be held on April 30th 1997 from 10am to 5pm at the 519
Church Street Community Centre (Church Street and Wellesley).

Gathering Information from Participants
In order to achieve the expected outcome of the forum, the following
methods and process will be used for discussions and interaction among
participants:

_ Participants will be divided into workgroups.  One workgroup will
comprise service providers while service users will form the second
workgroup.

_ Each workgroup will discuss issues related to needs and barriers about
addiction treatment services and the actions that need to be undertaken to
address the situation.

_ Two workgroup sessions will be held. The first session will focus on
barriers while the next session will focus on the actions that need to be
undertaken to address the situation.

_ Each workgroup will report back the outcome of their proceedings in a
plenary session. Plenary discussions will be important as a forum to seek
clarifications as well as to identify the key themes emerging from the two
workgroups.

_ Discussions in each workgroup will be moderated by a facilitator. It will
be the responsibility of each facilitator to provoke discussions in their
respective workgroups and ensure that discussions stay within the relevant
topic. Broad questions will be developed by the Task Force in consultation
with the facilitators to guide workgroup discussions. A meeting between the
Task Force and all facilitators will thus be held prior to the forum to
discuss about the forum's process and guiding questions.

_ Some basic research will be held with service providers and users  prior
to the forum to identify their key interests and concerns  on the subject
of the forum. This will help the Task Force in developing relevant broad
questions to ensure that these interests and concerns are addressed in the
workgroup discussions.

_ A report documenting the proceedings will be developed after the forum
and disseminated to all participants. The forum's outcome will be used to
inform the other key components of the broad research i.e the Educational
Public Forum, the Action Implementation Workshop and the development of a
Model Programme to address short term and long term solutions.