Amherstburg Community Services kicks off local P2P Neighbourhoods program
- Ron Giofu
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
The City of Windsor and County of Essex’s Pathway to Potential (P2P) program has expanded to Amherstburg and the four-year initiative kicked off last weekend.
The P2P program is being administered locally by Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) and they held a community barbecue last Saturday. With a particular focus on an area bounded by Sandwich St. S., Fort St., Fryer St. and Pickering Dr., the P2P program is designed to strengthen priority neighbourhood ties by addressing poverty at the local level and empowering residents to shape their community’s future.
ACS executive director Kathy DiBartolomeo said P2P is a regional strategy to reduce poverty in Windsor-Essex County and was originally launched in 2008. The program grew last year.
“The P2P Neighbourhoods Program is a renewed strategy started in 2024 to create a thriving, inclusive Windsor-Essex through a holistic, community-driven approach to poverty reduction,” said DiBartolomeo. “It recognizes that poverty is more than financial, it’s social, economic and environmental.”
DiBartolomeo said the program is built on community feedback highlighting barriers like service access, affordability and infrastructure gaps. The goals are to strengthen priority neighbourhoods, advance affordable regional programs and to measure regional impact.
The program works through collaboration, resident involvement and an equity-focused approach, she said.
“What this wants to do is put the power in your hands,” she told the crowd.
The P2P Neighbourhoods program in Amherstburg sees the first year goals being to launch the initiative, map neighbourhood assets, engaging residents to act as neighbourhood leads, work with lead agencies, community leaders and businesses, and preparing an neighbourhood action plan. The latter is being done in conjunction with a survey, which runs through Nov. 30.
Year two goals include a focus on health, through such initiatives as workshops on physical and mental abuse, financial literacy, substance abuse and establishing a yearly neighbourhood event.
In year three, life skills is the planned focus with such things as cooking classes, teaching of job skills from resumé writing and bursary information, planting community gardens, giving away school supplies and another yearly community event.
“We want to work together and improve lives,” said DiBartolomeo.
The fourth year will see such things as emergency preparedness, fraud and scam awareness, community beautification with such initiatives as murals and plantings among other things.
DiBartolomeo indicated plans can change, as feedback will be gathered along the way.
“Whatever you can dream, we can’t wait to hear it,” said DiBartolomeo. “Maybe you don’t want this, maybe you want something else.”
The goal of the P2P Neighbourhood program is to bring communities together and help residents connect with each other and the programs they may need.
“When you know each other, you are going to take care of each other,” she said.
ACS is encouraging people impacted to complete a survey, join their Facebook group, become a neighbourhood lead, join a resident committee or e-mail p2p@amherstburg-cs.com.
Mayor Michael Prue and Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb were part of the kickoff.
“This is a monumental event taking place here,” said Prue.
Prue said he was very excited to see what was happening, noting he grew up in public housing and he still recalls those days. He said local residents can shape the community they want to be part of and encouraged them to tell town council as well.
“You can build your community exactly the way you want,” said Prue.
DiBartolomeo also plugged other programs ACS is part of, including Coats for Kids. Giveaway dates are from Nov. 12-14 at Encounter Church.
Amherstburg Community Services kicks off local P2P Neighbourhoods program
By Ron Giofu
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