Skip to content
Pages
-
-
Supportive Housing: A key Ingridient in the Safety and Well-being of Thriving Communities
-
By Christopher M. Stephen, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Peterborough Police Service; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Forensic Community-Based Research Project, The Peterborough Police have a great interest in social programs through their mandate of
community policing through a harm reduction model, which means understanding and aiding
where they are able in social programs such as supportive housing. The purpose of this project
was to determine the scope, amount and level of need of supportive housing in Peterborough and
the surrounding areas, and then to compare these needs and models to other communities to
begin the development of best practices that could be implemented in Peterborough. In these
comparisons, it was essential to determine the cost of these programs, and if they effectively
reduced costs and stresses on public emergency services. Major positive findings of this study
indicate that supportive housing is a reliable method for the development and support of at-risk
populations. While there is a lack of supportive housing for specific high risk individuals in the
Peterborough area, the framework for continued and improved support does exist. Finally,
supportive housing has been shown to drastically reduce the cost and stresses that high risk
individuals who would greatly benefit from support, put on public emergency services, including
hospital visits, emergency shelter use and 911 calls.
-
-
Establishing the Need for Food Services at Sadlier House
-
By Lauren Bower, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Sadlier House; Supervising Professor: Heather Nicol; Trent Community Research Centre, GEOG4030 - Community Based Research in Geography, The purpose of this project is to look at the area surrounding Sadleir House in Peterborough Ontario and determine what the level of interest in a food service is. The area surrounding Sadleir House does not offer adequate food service options, and this research aims to see if adding a food service option in Sadleir House would add or alter the level of usage of the building. This research draws on different methodologies such as, conducting a literature review, looking into the area of Peterborough and the issue of food security, as well as what different food service provider type options are available. Another methodology used is surveys, which were analyzed to see if students at Trent University are interested in a food service and what type. This research also consisted of interviews of food service providers, drawing on the challenges and benefits of specific types of food services. It is determined that there is a strong level of interest in a food service. This research determines that a café style food service is a best fit for Sadleir House.
-
-
Impact of Sexual Consent Education on Working Professionals
-
By Neeshali Adhya, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Kawartha Sexual Assault Center; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Community Based Research, This paper explores the impact of the Sexual Consent Conference that was held in June of 2016 at Trent University. This conference was hosted by the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre. The conference took an inter-sectoral approach to discussing the complexity of sexual consent. It was funded by the Status of Women Canada and was a response to a needs assessment that was conducted by the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre. The present study answered three questions: 1) Did the conference provide a learning experience that was relevant to the attendees’ role in the community, 2) In what ways did the conference enhance the attendees’ knowledge and skill set around consent, and 3) In what ways did the attendees modify their approaches to service delivery. I found that the information was relevant to 92.86% of the attendees, 60.60% of the attendees stated they learned something from the conference, and 30.95% of them changed the way they deliver their services. Some recommendations for another conference are to specify what changes want to be seen in the community in reference to sexual violence and consent, and how to implement them through interactive sessions. This could enhance the networking aspect of the conference while determining what specific changes can be made to help the community. Some future research could be considering if the results of this research is specific to the topic of sexual violence or if the results are similar to other conferences on different topics. One limitation of this research is the interpretation of the survey questions, some of the attendees may not have understood what was being asked in full.
-
-
Gambling in the Community: The Potential Impacts of Casino Development on Social Services in the City of Peterborough
-
By Karly McCabe, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Community Based Research, With the anticipated development of a new casino in Peterborough, the Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee (HSJCC) is interested in determining the affect that its opening will have on social services within the city. The HSJCC works with individuals that experience mental health and/or addictions struggles and come in contact with the justice system. The HSJCC also coordinates communication between health care, developmental services and the justice system. This research surveyed organizations from Peterborough that would likely be affected by a new casino in the city, including mental health and addictions support, financial support services, the justice system, youth shelters, housing services and family counselling services. Similar organizations were surveyed from Ajax and Belleville, two cities with newly opened casinos. Research shows that social services dealing with addictions and addiction by-products, such as financial stress and relationship difficulties, are expecting an increase in client base or referrals following Peterborough’s casino opening. While all were in agreement of an increased reliance on them, none of the social services in the city have taken measures to prepare for the casino’s opening and the expected increase in clients. Prior to casino development in Belleville a problem gambling counsellor was allocated specifically for the casino’s expected repercussions, and 2% of the profit from the casino was allocated to mental health and addictions research by means of the provincial government. The research concludes by discussing the potential for further research on the topic of casinos and social services, and recommendations for preparation in Peterborough.
-
-
Extending A Hand in Friendship: Assisting Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Build New Relationships
-
By Andrea Ieropoli, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Heads Up for Inclusion; Supervising Professor: Sharon Beaucage-Johnson; Trent Community Research Centre, FRSC4890 - Forensic Community-Based Research Project, The purpose of this investigation is to identify best practices for facilitating programs that
pair young adults with intellectual disabilities with another member of the community in order to
develop a meaningful relationship between the two participants. In order to determine these best
practices, seven interviews were conducted with organizations who currently facilitate such
programs and an academic and grey literature search was conducted. The collected data was then
compared to the current Amigos in the Community program facilitated by a local Peterborough
not-for-profit agency, Heads Up For Inclusion. This comparison highlights the similarities and
differences between this program and those of other established programs. Moreover, a list of
suggested recommendations for the Amigos in the Community program has been developed for
Heads Up for Inclusion in order to improve its’ current program. One recommendation is to host
more community events so as to recruit new volunteers, increase community awareness of the
programs available, raise funds for the program and offer pairs an opportunity to spend more
time together. Another significant recommendation is to identify barriers to inclusion for
participants such as access to reliable, accessible transportation. These recommendations along
with others identified throughout this report are intended to assist Heads Up for Inclusion in
improving their current program and ensuring it meets the needs and interests of their clients.
-
-
Peterborough Natural Areas: The net gains and losses in natural heritage features from 1996-2016
-
By Vanessa Potvin, Date of Project Submission: April 2015., Completed for: Peterborough Field Naturalists; Supervising Professor: Heather Nicol; Trent Community Research Centre, - Community-Based Research Project, The Peterborough Natural Areas Strategy was developed in 1996 to establish a natural areas corridor for the citizens of Peterborough. Ten natural areas were mapped. Within each site, core areas were identified for a total of 24 natural areas throughout the city. The environmental status of the areas has not been assessed since the development of the original strategy. This report examines each natural heritage area to determine the net gains and losses in ecological features over the past twenty years. ArcGIS was used to digitize the maps, and map analysis tools were used to determine the net gains and losses in natural heritage features. As a result of this study, it was determined that there has been no statistically significant change in the natural areas since 1996. However, an assertive conclusion cannot be made, due to the variety of limitations that pertained to this study. Instead, further studies should take place to support the claim of this research.
Pages
