Trent Community Research Centre

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.

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.

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.

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.