Miu Chung Yan, Ph.D. University of British Columbia School of Social Work.

Bringing people together in urban neighbourhood: A place-based approach

of social integration

Miu Chung Yan, Ph.D.

University of British Columbia

School of Social Work

Settlement House Toynbee Hall (1848),

London East End, traditionally the immigrant and poor area

A place-based approach – neighbourhood level

Machinery of connection: brought wealthy university students and volunteers to impoverished neighbourhood to serve the residents.

Settlement House in N. America

1886, Neighbourhood Guild (University Settlement), NYC

1889, Hull House in Chicago (Jane Addams)

1910, 400 settlement houses in the US

1894, Arrived Toronto and Vancouver

All in immigrant concentrated areas

Many have been renamed to neighbourhood houses/centres

Settlement House & Social Integration

Yan, M. C., & Lauer, S. (2008).

A community organizer in San Francisco:

[NH/C] is not a problem- oriented organization. … . [I]t provides something positive for people to do instead of people staying in their own little world closed at home, and so it’s a nice way also to create links.

Jane Addams:

Hull House was soberly opened on the theory that the dependence of classes on each other is reciprocal; and that as the social relation is essentially a reciprocal relation, it gives a form of expression that has peculiar value.

How NH Connect People?An hub in impoverished neighbourhood: stable

physical structure, “institutional proximity” >> An open and inclusive space >>

Bridging people by servicing Multiple and flexible services for all ages >> Volunteer opportunity: networking and asset

building >> Intercultural solidarity through clubs and events >>

Community organizing Coalition building and coordination >> Inclusive platforms for various community interests

>>

Neighbourhood House: Vancouver

Vancouver West

1. Gordon NH2. Kitsilano

NH

Low income immigrant in Vancouver, 2001

Vancouver East1. Downtown

Eastside NH2. Kiwassa NH3. Frog Hollow

NH4. Mt Pleasant

NH5. Cedar Cottage

NH6. Collingwood

NH7. Little

Mountain NH8. South

Vancouver NH

Neighbourhood Centre: SFNeighbourhood Centres:1. Telegraph Hill NH2. Donaldina Cameron House 3. Richmond District NC4. Booker T. Washington

Community Service Center5. Mission NC6. Potrero Hill Neighborhood

House7. Bernal Height NC8. IT Bookman Community

Center9. Visitacion Valley

Community Center <<

Open and Inclusive Space

A key informant in Vancouver:So I would say the role of the neighborhood house is more to help a mix of the newcomers. … Also I think their [NHs’] role is more to let them [newcomers] know about the resources. Also there are more opportunities [in NHs] for them, should be more opportunities to participate and also kind of contribute to the society. <<

Flexible Services

<<

An ED of a NH/C in Vancouver: “Our challenge is to work with communities to develop integrative programs and services that are changing the diverse population.”

VolunteerismProbably ninety percent (volunteers) fit your definition of newcomers. This is a place to come and get some labor market experience or experience that relates to the labor market and is transferable.

We had about 15 parents who were trained in there. Uh, we had Chinese, Vietnamese, Aboriginal, Indo, South Asian, Filipinos, and many different backgrounds and they went on to become . . . We paid them an honorarium to do some outreach work in the community. The program is called LEAD. I really like the LEAD program because it provides a leadership requirement training for women of immigrant background. But what it does really is a bridging because it speak to people very informally. <<

Cultural Events… like in October, we organized a community event which is one of the biggest community events held at our center, which is called the Pumpkin Torch. In that event, we invite school children from the neighborhood, from the community, to join our huge Halloween celebration. And people from different cultural groups, different languages, when they see the pumpkin torch, they all smile, they just have a lot of fun of Halloween, and then they all enjoy the activities. (A frontline worker at a NH in Vancouver)

<<

<<

Coalition BuildingIn San Francisco

Richmond District NC is involved in the Inter-faith Agencies Coalition, which cultivates cross-cultural relationships in the community

Cameron House is part of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Coalition, an advocacy group for female victims

Mission NC is aligned with the Anti-Displacement Coalition, which fights against neighborhood gentrification

In Vancouver, South Vancouver NH: Safe Harbour program, Sunset

Community Literacy PlanCollingwood NH: Renfrew-Collingwood Multicultural Artist

NetworkKitsilano NH: Westside Food Security Collaborative, Westside

Seniors Empowerment Coalition <<

Conclusion:In short, a place-based, locally governed, multi-

service, community building mechanism.Notable social invention of the Progressive Era

(Putnam), Bringing back settlement house (Husock)Neighbourhood hub (Toronto), Community Anchor

(SF)However, challenges NH face in performing its

social integration functionLack of public and policy recognitionFunding issues: no core funding, unstable program

fundingLack of research: evidence

Acknowledgement:Pictures and photos in this presentation are from

Collingwood NH, South Vancouver NH, Mission NCs, Bernal Height NC, Telegraph Hill NC

For references used in this presentation, please contact me at [email protected].

Thanks!Merci!