What we've been doing... and what we plan to do
SPC's report on child care in the Cowichan Region shows there is a serious lack of quality, accessible licensed child care, with enough spaces to serve only 48% of the estimated 4,862 children 12 and under who need child care. For the 1,047 children three and under who need child care there are only 165 licensed spaces. To download the report, click here.
We worked very hard to gather facts around the issue of homelessness and affordable housing in the Cowichan Region. Click the link to the right to download the Inadequate Shelter Report, or click here to find out what we're doing on the affordable housing front.
Social Planning Cowichan also worked hard to assess the status of the community in key areas such as health, education and housing. Click the link to the right to download the first and second editions Status of the Community Reports.
We were also very much involved in the planning and preparation of the Cowichan Valley Housing Resource Centre, built on Lewis Street in Duncan. It is approximately 10,000 square feet on three floors, and a combination of short-term stay beds, longer-term transition apartments, offices, meeting rooms, community drop-in centre and living room, and a meals program. For more detailed information, contact Canadian Mental Health Association, Cowichan Branch at 250-746-5521.
Cowichan Visions 2020 is an initiative that began in 1992 by Community Futures Cowichan as a broad-based partnership between local government and community organizations to develop a vision for the Cowichan Region. More than 1000 people took part in the process through surveys, interviews and a two-day conference. Not only did the regional community develop and endorse vision statements for the overall region and six key sectors that affect the quality of life in the Cowichan Region, but one of the most significant outcomes was the sense of community that grew as a result of the process.
In 2003 Visions 2020 was resurrected by Community Futures Cowichan and over the next couple of years a lot of work was done to bring the vision statements up to date. In March of 2006 Community Futures handed the reigns of Visions 2020 over to Social Planning Cowichan. For a complete history of Visions 2020, visit the Visions 2020 website.