Shalem has been partnering with World Vision to address issues of poverty in the city of Hamilton. In it’s Poverty at Your Doorstep report for Hamilton in 2013, World Vision outlines the most current information about how children and families are doing in Hamilton in terms of unemployment rates, poverty levels, social assistance caseloads, food bank use, housing costs, and affordable housing wait-lists. World Vision also describes its partnership with Shalem’s WrapAround program to organize a personalized support network for participating individuals and families.

WrapAround works with participants who may be experiencing multiple challenges, including issues related to poverty and mental health needs, and helps them break the cycle through building on participant’s strengths, overcoming barriers, and providing mentoring, life-skills training and practical assistance such as transportation and child-care.

The WrapAround program relies on volunteers who agree to join a team that seeks to wrap itself around a participating individual or family to broaden their basis of support. The team approach ensures that even though individual volunteers or support communities may have limited time and resources, participants receive the level of support they need to move forward.

WrapAround is now working in several municipalities, and increasingly, churches and faith communities are inquiring as to how they can use this approach to support people and families with multiple needs in their own communities.

If you are interested in learning more about WrapAround and how you can volunteer in an existing program, or in exploring whether this model might fit in your community, please contact Elske at [email protected].