Communications Strategy—NIMY-ism
A communications campaign designed to persuade people to welcome supportive and/or transitional housing in their neighbourhoods.
Graffiti on the Lorraine Street transitional housing building (Oct 2024)
After writing an essay on Greater Sudbury’s goals of building more transitional housing projects and then an essay on the plans for supportive housing, we should look at the city’s proposed communications campaign to address the stigma associated with these programs.
Communications Strategy—NIMBY-ism (Not in my Back Yard)
Develop a communications campaign to increase public awareness of the benefits of supportive and transitional housing and address the stigma associated with these programs. (Page 38 in the Roadmap to Ending Homelessness Report.)
Recommendation
Communications Strategy—NIMBY-ism.
Estimated Cost
Costs subject to consultation with internal communications department.
Key Performance Indicators
Number of communications materials developed and distributed
to address NIMBY-ism.
(Appendix A Page 4)
If the results of this proposed advertising communications program will be determined by the number of news releases, social media postings and the number of leaflets that are distributed, plus the number of community meetings that are held, without having an unbiased method to judge the effectiveness of the program, then the performance indicators will be measured by quantity of materials generated and not by the number of people that were persuaded to welcome the projects in their neighbourhood.
Definitions
Transitional Housing is the process of moving a person that’s living on the streets into permanent housing. Transitional housing is temporary housing, (three months to two years), that lasts until the person is ready for permanent housing.
It may have little to do with a client withdrawing from drug or alcohol addictions.
Supportive Housing is permanent housing. They are Single Resident Occupied (SRO) units that are usually located in converted hotels or motels. Some municipalities build new ones using pre-fab buildings. The level of supports vary depending on the city’s requirements, the agency that has been contracted to operate the facility and on the residents’ individual needs.
Supporting Housing doesn't prevent residents from using drugs. That’s not the goal. Its mission is to get the homeless into permanent housing and help them stay there.
Communications campaign
Having the public understand the need for supportive and transitional housing should be quite easy, if the housing is going to be located somewhere far away. Having a community welcome one in their neighbourhood is something else indeed.
This is Lambton County’s (Sarnia) program for an "engagement process" for the whole community
Understand. Take Action. Be Part of the Solution.
“Be Part of the Solution” is a campaign calling on members of our community to shift the local conversation on homelessness to one of solutions. Through learning, understanding, and taking action, everyone can be part of the solution.
Explore information about homelessness and housing solutions, local videos, and media coverage of this campaign to learn more about homelessness and housing challenges in Lambton County. Then, head to our “Being Part of the Solution” page below to see how you can support local solutions by taking up one of eight community calls to action.
Recent communication sessions
If the past ones are an indication, the future communication sessions in Greater Sudbury may not be too successful.
Lorraine Street transitional housing sessions
The meetings did little to comfort Lorraine Street residents. Most who attended a virtual meeting Thursday say they remain opposed to the transitional housing project planned in their area. The mayor got the same message at his meeting.
First meeting Second Meeting
Flour Mill drop-in centre has neighbours concerned, fearful
At an April 8 (2014) public meeting, residents and business owners expressed concern about the Sudbury Centre for Transitional Care, which provides services to people who are homeless. One person suggested the SCTC should be burned down while another said it should be moved to the bush. Another speaker said the people seeking services at the centre don’t deserve care at all.
Flour Mill Community Action Network meeting
Future communication sessions
The persons who will be presenting future communication sessions in the neighbourhoods that have been selected to host transitional and supportive housing projects remind me of this limerick.
I really appreciate what you said about how success for the communication initiative has to be measured in changes in public sentiment, not just amount of content generated.