| Dear B.C. Self Advocacy Community and Supporters,
Holiday greetings from Community Living BC (CLBC)!
Here are important CLBC updates:
- New CLBC board members
- Inclusion BC and CLBC three-year plan to increase inclusive housing
- New CLBC Welcome Workshops
- New Strategic Initiative Advisors
- Self Advocate Net website and Speakers Bureau
- Public Guardian & Trustee program for former Woodlands resident payments
CLBC welcomes new board members
CLBC has seven new board members. See the government announcement here.
The new board directors are:
- Jake Anthony, self-advocate, professional actor and inclusive theatre instructor with City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services;
- Katherine Bright, principal, Katherine Bright Consulting;
- Nelson Chan, chief financial officer for the Capital Regional District, Capital Regional Hospital District and Capital Region Housing Corporation;
- Marnie Larson, chief executive officer, StarGarden Corporation;
- Julia Payson, executive director, Canadian Mental Health Association, Vernon and District branch;
- Simon Philp, market vice-president — commercial banking CIBC;
- Patricia Sullivan, chair of the Capital Regional District Arts Advisory Council.
Inclusion BC and CLBC launch three-year plan to increase inclusive housing
Inclusion BC and CLBC have worked together to create a three-year plan to increase inclusive housing options in B.C.
You can read the full plan on the CLBC and Inclusion BC websites.
Inclusion BC and CLBC will work together on these 4 areas:
- Data and Resources – Finding out how many people are looking for inclusive housing
- Identity and visibility – Getting the message out about what inclusive housing is
- Affordability and finance – Figuring out how to make housing affordable
- Inclusive design – Making sure there are accessible places for people to live
New CLBC Welcome Workshops
Nearly 200 people have attended new CLBC Welcome Workshops around B.C.
The four workshops – Getting Started, Community Connections, Planning Choices and CLBC: The Real Deal – are held over four weeks and help individuals and families connect with each other while learning about CLBC, its services and community options.
Each workshop is led by a team that includes a family member, a self advocate and a CLBC facilitator.
One of the new planning tools shared in the Welcome Workshops is myBooklet BC.
This online tool helps people and families to create a personalized information booklet that they can share with professionals and others in their life.
Find out more about the Welcome Workshops by visiting the CLBC web site.
New Strategic Initiative Advisors help improve CLBC services
A new role called the Strategic Initiative Advisor has been created at CLBC.
This part-time position is for people who have the expertise and experience of a person living with a developmental disability.
Strategic Initiative Advisors will work on different research, development and improvement projects.
Congratulations and welcome to CLBC’s new Strategic Initiative Advisors! They are Michelle Goos (Victoria), Alexander Magnusson (Surrey), Jerry Laidlaw (Langley), David Johnston (Dawson Creek), Shelley DeCoste (Kelowna), Debbie Reece (Vancouver), Elizabeth Hamilton (Vernon), and Drew Derosier (Kelowna).
Self Advocate Net Website and Speakers Bureau
CLBC continues to support the B.C. Self Advocate Net (SAN) website.
Each month up to eight new stories are published by the people we serve showcasing their voices, gifts and experiences.
Authors of successful submissions are paid $100. Story ideas can be submitted here.
CLBC is excited to see other agencies now sponsoring the site and hiring self advocates as presenters and trainers within their organization.
Also hosted on SAN is the B.C. Self Advocacy Speakers Bureau.
The Speakers Bureau is an opportunity for decision makers, service providers and the community at large to learn directly from people with diverse abilities by hiring speakers to present on topics such as inclusive employment, housing and rights.
CLBC’s partnership with SAN began with the creation of the Editorial Board in 2013
For more information about SAN, the Speakers Bureau or the CLBC Editorial Board please contact CLBC’s Self Advocate Advisor at Jessica.Humphrey@gov.bc.ca.
Visit the web site today to read recent stories including: Michelle’s love story; My thoughts on changing Community Living Month to Community Inclusion Month; and Self advocate experience.
Public Guardian & Trustee program for former Woodlands resident payments
CLBC is helping to find former residents of Woodlands Institution and Woodlands School to tell them about a new way to receive money from the government.
If you are a survivor of Woodlands, or know someone who is, contact the Ministry of Health to see if you can receive payment. Find more information here.
Former residents of Woodlands who are not clients of the Public Guardian & Trustee (PGT) may need the PGT to act as trustee in order to receive payment of Woodlands funds. Learn more about the Woodlands Trustee Program on the PGT website or read the PGT Information Sheet.
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Finally, from Seonag: I wanted to share with you that I have decided to retire from my post as CEO of CLBC as of April 1, 2019. I am grateful to the Self Advocacy community for all your hard work and for guiding me in my role over the past 4 years. You can read more about my retirement here.
Please accept warm wishes for the holidays.
Sincerely,
Seonag Macrae
CEO, Community Living BC
Jessica Humphrey
Self Advocate Advisor, Community Living BC |
