The Community Outreach Program is part of the Region of Waterloo’s National Child Benefit program. The program has been operating since 1999. Fifteen community organizations and the Region of Waterloo Social Services sponsor the poverty reduction initiative enhancing individual and family opportunity. The program has outreach workers at 25 locations across Waterloo Region. K-W Counselling Services sponsors 5 outreach workers in partnership with the City of Kitchener and neighbourhood associations. The outreach workers are located at 7 community centre sites in Kitchener. These include Breithaupt Centre, Centreville-Chicopee, Country Hills & Doon Pioneer Park, Mill-Courtland, Victoria-Hills and Paulander Community Centres. The program has five key components, which include direct service (support to individual/family capacity building), community mobilization, capacity building related to groups and systems, partnership building and evaluation.

The Family Outreach Workers spend their time responding to individual and family need first through referrals to existing community agencies and resources. When an existing program, service or resource is not available direct service is provided through either in-kind donations and/or support, or accessing a basic needs fund through the Region of Waterloo.

In addition to ensuring that family’s basic needs are being met, Family Outreach Workers work with families, individuals and groups within the community to build on and develop capacity, emphasizing strengths, and to build new skills. The objective is for the individual/family path to be one that leads to less reliance on the social service system and increased attachment to the workforce.