July 16 - 31 , 2018 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY LOCAL NEWS 11
One Housing Society ’ s impetus can be traced back to a decade ago when the first Filipino-Canadian cooperative in BC was launched and opened for business , so to speak . Responding to its members ’ need for affordable housing options , One Filipino Cooperative of BC ( FilCoopBC ) resolved in 2016 to launch its Affordable Housing Initiative , culminating in the birth and registration , as a non-profit association , of One Housing Society with the BC Registry on November 2 , 2016 . It is another first offering for the Filipino- Canadian community in BC . One Housing Society envisions to provide affordable , accessible , sustainable , innovative and inclusive housing solutions to eligible Filipino-Canadians in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of BC as well as qualified recipients of the Government ’ s subsidized housing programs . There are two critical factors imperative to achieving One Housing Society ’ s vision : first , is the building of strategic partnerships with different stakeholders-- -government agencies , the private sector and community agencies---which are at the forefront of the massive housing investment launched in the last couple of years to address the housing crisis ; and
Madison & Lakeshore ...
care homes .
The victory of the Lakeshore and Madison workers is summed up by HEU ’ s Secretary-Business Manager Jennifer Whiteside in their press release : “ This agreement is due in part to the courageous workers who stood up for what is right and family members who voiced their concerns for their loved ones .”
Health Minister Adrian Dix and Jim Sinclair , Chair of the Fraser Health Authority also responded to the appeals of the workers and the residents of the Centres which also contributed to this positive outcome .
While this is one case that has been successfully resolved and won , the legislation on contracting out and contract flipping in the province will continue to render care home workers vulnerable to job dismissals and put the
A history in the making - One Housing Society launches its membership campaign
second , is the active participation of One Housing Society ’ s members . Hence , it is crucial that the who , what and why ( Vision , Mission and Goals ) of the organization are communicated to the members to build and unify a common sense of purpose and direction .
One Housing Society has embarked on this journey of communicating and building the foundation among its members with the first membership orientation delivered on July 14 , 2018 , at the VanCity , Victoria Branch . A huge turn-out of new members boosted the officers and facilitators ’ confidence that its invitation is reaching the intended audience of its communication campaign . Through its PowerPoint presentation laying down the what ’ s , why ’ s , who ’ s and how ’ s of membership in One Housing Society , two facilitators guided their better understanding of the vision , mission and goal of One Housing Society . In addition , attendees were given copies of One Housing Society ’ s first brochure and business card they can use as reference and share with their families , friends and colleagues . An added feature of the above membership orientation was the holding of a panel Q & A session during which the
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residents in the care homes uncertain of the continuity of their care . These anti-worker legislations which was put in place by the Liberal government 15 years ago needs to be removed and removed right away . ( Photo credit : HEU FB and Sara Rozell )
Lizalyn Santos , HEU member speaking to the rally about the layoffs ( July 8 , 2018 ).
officers and co-facilitators of FilCoopBC and One Housing Society elaborated on points the attendees asked . Seeing the officers and co-facilitators seated in front was aimed at enhancing the “ connection ” between participants and hosts when the former could associate a face to the names they often read in email or text messages and other announcements . And , as usually happened , even after the session has ended , people huddled together in smaller groups in different corners to get to know each other , exchange contact information or share ideas . This first delivery of One Housing Society ’ s membership orientation will be reviewed and reflected upon by its training team based on the feedback of the participants . The facilitators had earlier invited them , from one end of the table to the other , to describe in one or two words their feedback about the content , delivery , process , venue and other features of the session . This sharing was even marked by a touch of humour here and there , manifesting the sense of comfort , camaraderie and conviviality the membership orientation had achieved in the process . And so , this enhanced version of the OHS membership orientation will be used during its second session scheduled on August 11 , 2018 at Vancity , Victoria Drive Branch . This will be followed by more sessions in Richmond and Surrey in the coming months . Like any other journey , One Housing Society hopes to see the pace of the membership campaign gaining speed as it actualizes its strategy , defined in a Board meeting in June , of achieving “ visibility in the community ” ---its “ community ” defined as its member community and its investment community ( federal , provincial , municipal governments and Crown corporations , funders , landowners and other financiers ), development community ( developers , consulting companies , contractors , suppliers ) and community agency partners ( non-profit housing societies , housing cooperatives and community service agencies ). For those who are interested , please call No . 604-780-2061 or email onehousingsociety @ gmail . com to secure a spot in One Housing Society ’ s next and subsequent membership orientation seminars . Join and be part of this history in the making . Together let us build partnerships , build homes , and build communities .
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