Loyalist College has been awarded a $359,793 grant through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) for its ‘Intergenerational Home Sharing Program: College Students Co-living with Older Adults’ project proposal.
The three-year pilot project will develop an alternative housing model which promotes intergenerational living for Loyalist students and adults 55 years of age and older in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. In particular, it will aim to pair international students who have been living in Canada for at least a year, with seniors who are home providers. The objective is to address housing availability and affordability issues, while exploring the potential to improve both students’ and seniors’ quality of life by reducing isolation and increasing their sense of belonging. The project will provide a unique opportunity for Social Service Worker students to participate as part of their program practicum and to learn about program planning and implementation, partnership development, assessment and counselling, conflict resolution and program evaluation.
Three community partners provided support for this project proposal, including Hastings Quinte Paramedic Services (HQPS), Hastings County Community and Human Services, and Quinte Immigration Services.
