Community Development Halton is on the move

Community Development Halton has new leadership - and they are on the move.

Guests at the agency's May 30 open house were introduced to its new executive director, Rishia Burke. They also heard plans to move operations from its current home on the South Service Road to two locations in the community. Effective July 1, CDH will operate at the Roxy Centre in Acton on Mondays and Wednesdays, and at St. Christopher's Church (662 Guelph Line) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Since 1975, CDH (then known as the Halton Social Planning Council), has offered a compendium of statistics and social trends – often for free – to all in the Halton area.

CDH bills itself as a nonprofit, charitable, intermediary community organization striving to improve equity, social justice through community capacity building, community education, advocacy, policy research, analysis, and social reporting. For years, our local municipalities have created policies in response to information provided by CDH.

Community groups, both new and existing, have relied on the statistics, graphs, results and projections that CDH, through its professional researchers, has provided. Citizens have undertaken projects, initiatives and events as a result of what they’ve read coming through regular reports such as Community Dispatch and Community Lens, and a host of webinars, seminars and public meetings.

The "community development" in CDH comes not only as a result of this valuable information but also through initiatives such as Age Friendly Halton, Volunteer Halton, Community Spotlights and other programs they offer.

Volunteer Halton, for example, connects members of the public seeking opportunities to volunteer with organizations that have specific personnel needs. Volunteer Halton also facilitates workshops on volunteer recruitment, placement and retention, and non-profit board governance. Countless non-profits have stated
that they could not survive if it were not for Volunteer Halton’s offerings.

Burke, now seven weeks into her new job, explained the reasons for some of the changes. 

“The board (of CDH directors) said, ‘We know what our core services are, we know what our mandate is, let’s take this time to re-imagine a bit and ask how can we get closer to those who we serve, with those (organizations) that we have a synergy with,'” Burke said.

CDH has long had an office in Burlington and a presence in each of Halton’s four municipalities. This “fresh start” gave CDH the opportunity to operate in the north and south, serving both the urban and rural areas of Halton while still being accessible to those familiar with the Burlington setting.

“This gives us the opportunity to be physically present in the communities we serve.” said Burke. “Even today, I’m excited by the number of people that have come to celebrate and wish us well. Can you imagine this kind of interaction on a daily basis?”

Burke noted that this new approach will go a long way to extending the impact CDH will have on the development of Halton’s communities, even at the neighbourhood level, beyond the reports and statistics and trends that CDH will continue to issue on a regular basis.

CDH receives funding from the Region of Halton, the United Way of Halton & Hamilton, community donors and through modest membership fees from over 150 local organizations. Its motto is "We Engage, We Educate, We Empower".

To find out more about CDH and its services visit cdhalton.ca or call 905-632-1975.