Community
Community Input Is Needed! Join the Discussion About Family Violence

Following a broad study conducted by the Central Alberta Immigrant Women’s Association (CAIWA) and Red Deer College (RDC), community stakeholders and service providers will soon be meeting to contribute their insights as part of ‘A Community Conversation: Contributing Ideas for Positive Change in Immigrant Families’.
The in-depth study by CAIWA and RDC aims to better understand the causes of family violence in immigrant communities. The report found that a person’s understanding of domestic violence can impact their ability or willingness to seek out available services. Findings also suggested some aspects of domestic violence are specifically aligned to the realities of being an immigrant.
Central Alberta is a diverse community with an increasing number of immigrants of various socio-economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Factors such as age, sexual orientation, individual abilities, and levels of acculturation to the mainstream society vary widely. Forum organizers say these differences can pose challenges in offering support to immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Researchers say the findings of the study highlight the importance of culturally-specific and competent services.
Community Conversation: Contributing Ideas for Positive Change in Immigrant Families will be held at Red Deer College on November 29th, 10:00am to 1:00pm.
At this community forum stakeholders, service providers and the public are invited to learn more about this important research and to contribute ideas and insights to an action plan aimed at reducing immigrant family violence.
For more information [email protected] or by calling 403-341-3553 at CAIWA
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Business leaders decide it’s time to reduce the number of homeless in Red Deer

News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to form Task Force on Homelessness in Red Deer
The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be convening a Task Force of community and business leaders to address the issues of homelessness and identify actionable steps which can be taken to tackle this generational challenge in Red Deer.
“With the release of the City of Red Deer’s Point in Time (PIT) Report on homelessness last week we are very concerned and disappointed with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in place, and the urgency by which we need to turn this situation around within our city,” commented Scott Robinson CEO of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly our current strategies are not enough, and we need to elevate the urgency by which we get things done to reduce the number of citizens who are without a place to live. The growing number of people who are homeless is not sustainable and is impacting on our sense of pride, safety and attractiveness of our city to business and industry.”
“We will share more about this Task Force and the next steps in the coming weeks. Time has run out to act with conviction, courage, and clarity. Our community and citizens deserve that from our community leaders, and we are ready to bring the business community and the urgency required to the table.”
Over the next 60 days, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be reaching out to its business and social agency partners to build the Task Force on homelessness and establish a strategy to address the critical steps that need to be taken to reverse the trends and further our community’s vision as a vibrant and healthy city.
Matt Cassidy, Chamber Board President. remarked “Our Chamber is positioned to be the collaborative leader in connecting our business community, social agencies, and elected officials together, to find tangible progress on this complex issue. All businesses rely on the vibrancy of our community as they strive to be sustainable, innovative, or grow, and the results of the PIT Report indicate that we need to do much more. This task force will help hold our leaders accountable for the actionable progress needed and engage one another effectively.”
“In speaking with our membership, and those working closely with the vulnerable populations there are best practices and models for delivery that are successful in other parts of the world that we need to start implementing” says Robinson. In addition, we need to look at ways that our private sector can get more involved and bring their expertise and strategic thinking to the table. As a collaborative community we also need to ensure that governments at all levels are delivering on their promises of affordable housing and eliminating barriers to expediting these investments.
Established in 1894 the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, collaborative business leader representing over 825 member businesses. As one of Red Deer’s oldest and most established membership organizations we are striving to build a vibrant community that fosters an environment where businesses can lead, be innovative, sustainable, and grow.
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