Neighbourhood Hub

Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre as a neighbourhood hub

Kla-how-eya has provided a broad base of social programs for the community over the past decade. Since its inception in 1996, Kla-how-eya has focused on community driven needs which has resulted in a number of services to the community ranging in scope from infant development programs to support programs for the community’s Elders. Our programs are, wherever possible, delivered in a culturally sensitive manner and environment. We believe that creating a successful community hub means providing services for a community focused on their children and families and the healing and pulling up of all members of that community.

A neighbourhood hub strives to provide a complete continuum of wrap around services, either through direct client interactions through our staff, services provided by our partners co-located at Kla-how-eya (such as MCFD or Fraser Health) or through to a referral process with our numerous community partners. At Kla-how-eya, we offer employability training programs, health and wellness programs, early childhood development programs, family development programs, a youth safe house and an Aboriginal Headstart program. We have youth led activities and throughout our program offerings are cultural programs and events that are celebrated throughout each year.

To access program services that serve your need or to participate in any of our cultural activities, continue to review our website or drop by Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre, or contact us through fax, email, letter or telephone.

We are pleased to be of service to the community.

PRINCIPLES OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD HUB

1. Neighbourhood hubs include the direct provision of at least two early child development or family strengthening services under the same roof, one of which will be a child care program

2. Neighbourhood hubs have relationships or connections with most other ECD, child care and family strengthening services in the community. The hub building acts as the center of a broader web of services. Parents and children accessing services in the hub building will be able to gain information and seamless access to a continuum of services.

3. Neighbourhood hubs include a community development component. Due to the nature of hubs, there is a need for ongoing community development. This involves outreach to children and families as well as ongoing relationship building with service providers and community stakeholders. Hubs reflect community character and must have a mechanism for adapting service design to reflect changing neighbourhood needs.

4. Neighbourhood hubs make use of available space(s) in the community. Hubs can be located in community centers, schools, neighbourhood houses, libraries, public housing complexes, or occasionally private space (e.g. malls). Communities will assess the existence of available and appropriate spaces as a first step in developing hub programs.

5. Neighbourhood hubs are accessible. We know that there are many barriers that limit the accessibility of existing early child development services. Some of these are: affordability, lack of transportation, hours of operation, language of service, and lack of information about services. Hubs are based within neighbourhoods, providing easy access to children and families and allowing for the creation of services to meet the needs of that neighbourhood.

6. Neighbourhood hubs evolve from local collaboration and partnerships and are designed to further the collaborative process, not duplicate services or create competition between agencies. It is important that the hubs bring together stakeholders from a variety of sectors to reduce the historical fragmentation between services. In many communities, a local early year’s coalition (e.g. Children First) facilitates the development of these local partnerships.

7. Neighbourhood hubs provide universal access to services that promote healthy early child development.

8. Neighbourhood hubs are hosted by a local organization in partnership with the intersectoral coalition.

9. Neighbourhood hub programs are based on research. Services provided in hubs are developed based on what is known about the neighbourhood and the community. Early Development Instrument findings, socio-economic data, local inventories of existing services, and information gathered from parents and community members all contribute to a comprehensive understanding of neighbourhoods and how and where services can best be developed to meet local needs.

10. Neighbourhood hubs are developed based on “promising practices” across early child development services and include quality child care spaces at their centre. Creating a successful community hub in the present and changing social economic environment means supporting, nurturing and aiding community development through social enterprise to answer the demand, enhance and sustain the range of programs and services required for a community focused on their children and families and the healing and pulling up of all members of that community.

11. Neighbourhood hubs have a stable base of funding. Ongoing program planning and development is dependent on there being core funding that is not tied to the traditional fee for service or subsidy models of funding child care.