Room to Flourish: Lessons for Canadian Grantmaking Foundations from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands

While Canada has experienced a long and successful history of encouraging social participation and community activity through its grantmaking foundation sector, this article argues that Canada’s historic and present-day regulatory restrictions have limited the extent to which its foundation sector has been allowed to innovate and flourish. To exemplify the types of tractable regulatory schemes that have allowed grantmaking foundation sectors in comparative contexts to prosper, the evolution of the grantmaking foundation sectors in Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands is examined within the context of social origins theory. One important contribution of this article is to compare their regulatory frameworks to the Canadian context. It concludes with lessons learned for the Canadian grantmaking foundation sector and for public officials to consider.Bien que le secteur des fondations subventionnaires au Canada ait connu une longue histoire de réussites dans l’encouragement de la participation sociale et de l’activité communautaire, cet article soutient qu’une réglementation restrictive autant dans le passé qu’au présent a limité l’innovation et l’épanouissement dans le secteur. Afin de montrer comment une réglementation plus souple pourrait permettre aux fondations canadiennes de prospérer davantage, cet article recourt à la théorie des origines sociales pour examiner le secteur en Suède, en Allemagne et aux Pays-Bas. Une contribution importante de cet article consiste ainsi à comparer les contextes réglementaires dans ces pays à celui du Canada. En conclusion, il fait des recommandations pour les fondations subventionnaires et le secteur public canadiens

How Regional Transit Agencies Can Serve the Daily Mobility Needs of the Unhoused Population

UC-ITS-2022-52With more people experiencing homelessness in California cities, some transit agencies have begun to comprehensively address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, a population which historically may not have been included in their planning. Research suggests that people experiencing homelessness rely on public transit for the same variety of reasons that all riders do, and that, like other riders, they find it difficult to reach those destinations due to prohibitive costs and transit schedules that do not meet their needs. California transit agencies vary in terms of whether, and how well, they engage with the issue of homelessness. Interviews and a review of policy and programming documents show that most major transit agencies in California made some reference to people experiencing homelessness, but just ten of fifteen addressed their transit needs, and only three addressed those needs through dedicated programs. We use this research synthesis to draw greater attention to the ways that transit agencies can serve the mobility needs of people experiencing homelessness. We present findings from a case study on transit accessibility in San Diego County to supplement our statewide review. This includes a geospatial analysis of transit accessibility from locations where people experiencing homelessness have been known to congregate in San Diego County, as well as interviews with three people who have experienced homelessness in the region and three advocates for the unhoused population. We identify the ways that transit accessibility is a complex issue, requiring consideration of proximity, ease of physical access, and programmatic supports. Based on our research, we recommend that transit and service organizations consider the following: (1) establish coordinated outreach in transit environments, (2) offer shuttles to services and employment to help one resolve their homelessness, (3) improve the reliability and connectivity of public transit, (4) support fare assistance programs, and (5) incorporate expertise from people with lived experience of homelessness

UC pursues rooted research with a nonprofit, links the many benefits of community gardens

The informal economy, healthy food options and alternative urban food systems are interconnected in important ways. To better understand these connections, and explore a rooted university approach to working with communities, we collaborated with the San Diego Community Garden Network to analyze the production, distribution and consumption of produce from eight community gardens in San Diego County. The project engaged UC San Diego researchers and students with county residents and community-based organizations to develop a survey together. Interviews with the gardeners and data from the completed survey document the ways in which community gardens contribute to individual and household health, well-being and community development. They suggest that despite perceptions that community gardens have marginal commercial capacity, they have the potential to contribute in meaningful ways to community development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods

UC pursues rooted research with a nonprofit, links the many benefits of community gardens

The informal economy, healthy food options and alternative urban food systems are interconnected in important ways. To better understand these connections, and explore a rooted university approach to working with communities, we collaborated with the San Diego Community Garden Network to analyze the production, distribution and consumption of produce from eight community gardens in San Diego County. The project engaged UC San Diego researchers and students with county residents and community-based organizations to develop a survey together. Interviews with the gardeners and data from the completed survey document the ways in which community gardens contribute to individual and household health, well-being and community development. They suggest that despite perceptions that community gardens have marginal commercial capacity, they have the potential to contribute in meaningful ways to community development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods

UC pursues rooted research with a nonprofit, links the many benefits of community gardens

The informal economy, healthy food options and alternative urban food systems are interconnected in important ways. To better understand these connections, and explore a rooted university approach to working with communities, we collaborated with the San Diego Community Garden Network to analyze the production, distribution and consumption of produce from eight community gardens in San Diego County. The project engaged UC San Diego researchers and students with county residents and community-based organizations to develop a survey together. Interviews with the gardeners and data from the completed survey document the ways in which community gardens contribute to individual and household health, well-being and community development. They suggest that despite perceptions that community gardens have marginal commercial capacity, they have the potential to contribute in meaningful ways to community development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods

How Regional Transit Agencies Can Serve the Daily Mobility Needs of the Unhoused Population

With more people experiencing homelessness in California cities, some transit agencies have begun to comprehensively address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, a population which historically may not have been included in their planning. Research suggests that people experiencing homelessness rely on public transit for the same variety of reasons that all riders do, and that, like other riders, they find it difficult to reach those destinations due to prohibitive costs and transit schedules that do not meet their needs. California transit agencies vary in terms of whether, and how well, they engage with the issue of homelessness. Interviews and a review of policy and programming documents show that most major transit agencies in California made some reference to people experiencing homelessness, but just ten of fifteen addressed their transit needs, and only three addressed those needs through dedicated programs. We use this research synthesis to draw greater attention to the ways that transit agencies can serve the mobility needs of people experiencing homelessness. We present findings from a case study on transit accessibility in San Diego County to supplement our statewide review. This includes a geospatial analysis of transit accessibility from locations where people experiencing homelessness have been known to congregate in San Diego County, as well as interviews with three people who have experienced homelessness in the region and three advocates for the unhoused population. We identify the ways that transit accessibility is a complex issue, requiring consideration of proximity, ease of physical access, and programmatic supports. Based on our research, we recommend that transit and service organizations consider the following: (1) establish coordinated outreach in transit environments, (2) offer shuttles to services and employment to help one resolve their homelessness, (3) improve the reliability and connectivity of public transit, (4) support fare assistance programs, and (5) incorporate expertise from people with lived experience of homelessness

How Are Transit Agencies in California Addressing the Travel Needs of People Experiencing Homelessness?

Increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness in California cities have prompted some transit agencies to address the needs of unhoused people and riders more comprehensively in their service plans. Some of these efforts respond to the presence of transit riders who are visibly homeless and seek shelter on transit vehicles, at transit stops, and on other agency property. Many people experiencing homelessness, however, are also active users of public transit, relying on buses and trains to access services, get to work, visit family, and more. Public transit is especially critical for those working to exit homelessness who do not have access to a personal vehicle