Information & Referral Services - It's what we do!

Community Connection's inquiry services provide information on the full range of human services from all levels of Government, the non-profit sector, the private voluntary sector, by individuals in the community as well as from the business sector.

Individualized information is free, confidential and available to everyone. Services are provided by telephone, in person or more recently through email & the Internet.

Users include the general public, primarily people who have trouble accessing services because of language, age, culture, poverty, lack of education, illiteracy, fear of violence or unemployment.

Information counselling activities require specific skills. They are:

Human service providers such as social and constituency workers, health care professionals, business people, government officials and students are also major users.

Our History

The original notion of Community Information Centres (CICs) can be traced to community situations where people were disoriented, displaced or requiring special assistance in coping with daily living.

The first Canadian information & advice service was founded by the Social Planning Council of Toronto in the early 1950's. Since then, more that 60 CICs have opened their doors in Ontario.

Locally, Community Connection had its humble beginnings in 1969 in the Stayner Town Hall, as a crisis intervention program, staffed by community volunteers. Today our mandate is to provide information & referral services, however, our vision remains the same "to help people with their day to day problems."

Incorporation

Community Connection is incorporated as the Collingwood & District Information Centre, an independent, non profit, charitable organization since 1979. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors & staffed by paid & volunteer workers.

Membership

We are a long standing member of InformOntario, the Association of Community Information Centres in Ontario (ACICO). ACICO has awarded Community Connection professional "Accreditation Status" since 1996.

Our Network of Community Information Centres

Community Connection is the Regional Centre for Simcoe County, a network of Community Information Centres. Members consist of Community Connection (Collingwood), South Simcoe Community Information Centre (Alliston), Information Barrie, Information Orillia, and Community Link North Simcoe (Midland). Together, our network is working toward becoming the only source for human service information in Simcoe County.

---