Ottawa, Ontario
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre
Supporting Peer Workers to Keep Communities Clean & Safe
Requested amount: $50,549.00
$10,000 raised so far – thank you for your support!
The Challenge
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre’s (SHCHC) community members and clients have consistently expressed concerns about visible drug-use supplies and packaging left in public spaces, creating safety concerns and negatively impacting perceptions of the community. The Community Clean-up Program was established as a peer-led initiative that provided clients with meaningful employment opportunities to clean up discarded needles, pipes, and related waste in the neighbourhood. Participation also helped reduce substance use during the day by increasing engagement and connection. For many clients, this program serves as an important first step toward re-entering the workforce, building confidence, developing work skills, and accessing further employment and volunteer opportunities within SHCHC and across Ottawa.
With the provincial government funding cuts and subsequent closure of its Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS program), Sandy Hill Community Health Centre (SCHCH) will lose the ability to provide these Community Clean-up services. This will not take away an opportunity for clients to earn legal income, build skills, and contribute positively to their neighbourhood through paid clean-up work – it will also have a significantly negative impact on the surrounding community, who will surely experience the effects of increased drug waste and litter.
The Approach
SHCHC is proposing to maintain its Community Clean-up Program through private funding. Depending on how much is raised, the program can support 1–2 Community Workers to lead teams of 2–4 clients in neighbourhood clean-up activities for two-hour shifts.
Private funds raised would primarily support compensation for staff and client participants. Program supplies, supervision, personal protective equipment (PPE), and evaluation activities would be provided in-kind by SHCHC.
What Success Looks Like
Success of the Community Clean-up Program will be measured through both quantitative and qualitative indicators that demonstrate community impact, client engagement, and pathway outcomes. Key measures include:
- Frequency and number of completed community clean-ups
- Total number of staff and clients who participate and the hours they complete
- Number of needles, sharps, and SITE materials safely collected and disposed of
- Number of by-law or community service requests addressed or submitted
- Number of participants transitioning to other employment, volunteer, or training opportunities
- Client feedback regarding programming
Community feedback related to programming
Together, these measures will help assess whether the program is improving community safety, supporting client wellbeing, and creating meaningful pathways toward employment and community reintegration.
Project Timeline
The Community Clean-up Program already exists, and therefore can be reinstated as soon as sufficient funds are raised. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this program within the context of the CTS closure, SHCHC proposes to run this program for an additional six months.
Funding Need
Funding requirements for the Community Clean-up Program are scalable depending on the level of funding available:
- $7,208 would support small teams to operate 2 days/week
- $14,417 would support large teams to operate 2 days/week
- $25,230 would support small teams to operate 5 days/week
- $50,549 would support large teams to operate 5 days/week
Budget available upon request
If you’d like to support or reach out with any questions about this project, please contact:
Dean Dewar
Director, CTS & Communications Lead
613-795-8985
ddewar@sandyhillchc.on.ca