scholarly journals Effect of COVID-19 on Pet Food Bank Servicing: Quantifying Numbers of Clients Serviced in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside, British Columbia, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Schor ◽  
Alexandra Protopopova
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Pet Food ◽  
Downtown Eastside ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Income Assistance ◽  
Over Time

Previous research has focused on the benefits and difficulties of pet ownership in people, who are experiencing homelessness. However, many pet services, such as pet food banks, serve a more varied population of people. Furthermore, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been documented within the context of pet food banks. Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) population comprises a notable proportion of the city's overall population and has a high density of people who are experiencing financial hardships, but some of whom do not always experience homelessness. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the number of clients and pets that are being serviced by a pet food bank, whether that has changed over time, and if it was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed available attendance and service records from The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pet food bank between 2013 and 2020. We found that a median of 100 clients attended the food bank each week and that most of the companion animals serviced were cats (72.5%), then followed by dogs (25.2%), and rats (1.2%). Servicing was not consistent over time, with a weekly pattern of decreased attendance every fourth week of the month, which coincided with income assistance payments. This suggests that either servicing needs are decreased with income assistance or that the week of the month may present an access to care challenge. We also observed a decrease in the clientele attending in 2020 compared to previous years, suggesting an effect of COVID-19. Specifically, this trend was present for cats, rats, rabbits, and “other” companion animals, but not for dogs; the number of dog owners receiving services did not change in 2020, suggesting a difference between needed services in dog vs. other pet owners. The yearly trends shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, highlighting the need for additional support through times of crisis. Overall, the data show a complex relationship between pet service provision and other community issues and highlight the need to consider pet food banks within the greater social services networks.

An End to Incrementalism? The Impact of Expenditure Restraint on Social Services Budgets 1979–1986

1989 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Service ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Total Budget ◽  
Service Departments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTThe theory of incrementalism is a long-standing and influential perspective on policy making and resource allocation in the public sector. Previous research on social services budgeting suggests that resources are allocated incrementally, although there has been some debate as to whether this would persist in an era of prolonged expenditure restraint. Incremental budgetary outcomes are operationalised as percentage changes in budgets pro-rata with percentage changes in the total budget, and as stable shares of total expenditure for each activity. Data for 99 English social service departments supports incrementalism in that budget shares change by only 1.8 per cent, but percentage allocations depart from pro-rata incrementalism by a mean of 74 per cent. The comparison of the two summary indices over time supports those who have argued that prolonged restraint would encourage non-incremental budgeting, but change in the agency's total budget does not consistently predict budgetary outcomes. The effect of restraint on incrementalism varies with the measure used and across the component activities of the measures, but there is enough evidence to suggest a significant decline in the level of incrementalism in social service departments. In particular, non-incremental budgeting is strongly associated with the growth of day centre expenditure on the mentally ill and the elderly before 1982–3, and after that with the pursuit of the ‘community care’ strategy within state provided services for the elderly and children. Incrementalism as a general theory of agency budgeting is limited in its ability to explain variations in the degree of incrementalism between agencies, between component budgets and over time. The conclusion suggests that further research should seek explanations for these variations in the varying balance of the competing forces which shape outcomes in welfare bureaucracies and in the relationship between these forces and the organisation's environment.

Food banks, welfare, and food insecurity in Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 1405-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Tarasuk ◽  
Naomi Dachner ◽  
Rachel Loopstra
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Food Assistance ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Similar to the recent emergence of food banks in other affluent nations, the genesis and ultimate entrenchment of food banks in Canada has been tightly intertwined with the dismantling of the welfare state. Through an examination of Canadian data, the authors elucidate the implications of entrenching voluntary, extra-governmental, charitable food assistance programs as an adjunct to publicly funded social assistance programs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Publicly available food bank reports, population health survey data, and the results of a study of low-income families in Toronto are reviewed to examine the food security status of social assistance recipients and their use of food banks. Findings – In 2012, 70 percent of households in Canada who were reliant on social assistance were food insecure. Social assistance recipients comprise at least half of food bank clientele and have done so for as long as this information has been tracked, but the assistance provided by food banks appears insufficient to alter households’ food insecurity. Although food banks currently distribute over 200 million pounds of food annually, the scale of their operations pales in comparison to the food needs of those who seek their help. Originality/value – In the 30 years since food banks began in Canada, there has been considerable research into this response, as well as extensive population monitoring of food insecurity. Canada provides an informative case study of an affluent country's long-term dependency on charitable food assistance and the impact this has on the food insecurity of those reliant on social assistance programs.

scholarly journals Impact of Welfare Benefit Sanctioning on Food Insecurity: a Dynamic Cross-Area Study of Food Bank Usage in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
RACHEL LOOPSTRA ◽  
JASMINE FLEDDERJOHANN ◽  
AARON REEVES ◽  
DAVID STUCKLER
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Unemployment Insurance ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Food Banks ◽  
Food Bank ◽  
Welfare Benefit ◽  
Household Food ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince 2009, the UK has witnessed marked increases in the rate of sanctions applied to unemployment insurance claimants, as part of a wider agenda of austerity and welfare reform. In 2013, over one million sanctions were applied, stopping benefit payments for a minimum of four weeks and potentially leaving people facing economic hardship and driving them to use food banks. Here we explore whether sanctioning is associated with food bank use by linking data from The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network with records on sanctioning rates across 259 local authorities in the UK. After accounting for local authority differences and time trends, the rate of adults fed by food banks rose by an additional 3.36 adults per 100,000 (95% CI: 1.71 to 5.01) as the rate of sanctioning increased by 10 per 100,000 adults. The availability of food distribution sites affected how tightly sanctioning and food bank usage were associated (p< 0.001); in areas with few distribution sites, rising sanctions led to smaller increases in food bank usage. In conclusion, sanctioning is closely linked with rising food bank usage, but the impact of sanctioning on household food insecurity is not fully reflected in available data.

scholarly journals Measuring the Dynamic Risk of Further Offending: A Feasibility Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Hodges ◽  
Kevin Fahey
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

BackgroundYoung people who have offended were, until recently, assessed using the Core ASSET Profile – a tool which determined their likelihood of reoffending based on their criminal history and practitioner scores across 12 domains. The repeated assessments provide a set of data for each individual which can be used to model how their risk of further offending varies over time. Having conducted an initial proof of concept study, this work explores the potential of extending the range of ‘risk’ and ‘protective’ factors using anonymised linked data held within the SAIL Databank. Main AimThe feasibility study is designed to establish the potential for using administrative data to develop a more sensitive assessment tool for use in the youth justice system. Specifically, the study explores the impact of being care experienced and of subsequent system contact in elevating the risk of further offending. ApproachA series of Bayesian hierarchical models will be generated which mimic the features of the Core ASSET Profile under the Scaled Approach. These include a range of time-varying and non-time varying variables matched to the individual, drawn from education, health and social services datasets as well as their court and offending records. ResultsThe anticipated findings will advance our understanding of how the likelihood of further offending varies over time for different groups, and how further system contact increases the risk. This will enable the complexity of young people’s real lives to be explored, and hence appropriate and timely interventions to be developed. ConclusionModelling under a Bayesian framework affords the opportunity to generate robust analysis based on smaller datasets. Findings have significant implications for policy and practice, particularly in the context of assessment processes across the justice system and social welfare.

scholarly journals 235 Awardee Talk - Processing considerations for the pet food industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 59-59
Author(s):  
Charles G Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Animal Health ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pet Food ◽  
Particle Size Reduction ◽  
Sensory Qualities ◽  
Food Market ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The US is the largest pet food market in the world and produces approximately 8.5 MMT of pet food annually. Most of this is processed or cooked in some manner and fortified to be nutritionally complete with a need to assure more than 40 nutrients are met with each bite. To overlook this can lead to poor product performance, rejection by consumers, animal health issues, and recalls. Whether we consider baking, canning or extrusion, this food is subjected to some form of particle size reduction, conveyance, mixing and shear, cooking and drying process to agglomerate ingredients, provide texture and palatability, improve nutrient utilization, control spoilage, or eliminate pathogen contamination. Many of the raw ingredients are processed in similar fashion. While many benefits can be attributed to these processes, essential nutrients can be lost, utilization can be affected, unintentional compounds can be produced, shelf-keeping quality can be shortened, and sensory attributes can be altered. The objective of this review is to provide insight into significant issues that are currently being researched or should be addressed in future research. Examples from research from a variety of areas will be provided along with a discussion of mechanisms, formulation strategies, and process modifications which should be considered in order to ameliorate unintended alternations of foods intended for companion animals. Research relevant to amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and starch will be discussed, along with work demonstrating the impact on shelf-life, sensory qualities, and performance of pet foods.

scholarly journals Community Stories and Growth Through Research-Based Theatre

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-126
Author(s):  
Christopher Cook ◽  
George Belliveau
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Creation Process ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Downtown Eastside ◽  
Collective Creation ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Community members and staff at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Learning Exchange collectively created a theatre piece, based on stories from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), entitled Voices UP! This article examines the impact this project had on four DTES community members who took part in the collective creation process. The results are presented as both a thematic analysis and a short play script, entitled Give Me Your Hands. Give Me Your Hands is a play about making a play, illustrating the shared and individual learning experiences of those who took part in a community-based collaborative theatre process.

scholarly journals Pre- and post-weaning diet alters the faecal metagenome in the cat with differences in vitamin and carbohydrate metabolism gene abundances

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Young ◽  
Christina D. Moon ◽  
David G. Thomas ◽  
Nick J. Cave ◽  
Emma N. Bermingham
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Pet Food ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Metabolism Gene

Abstract Dietary format, and its role in pet nutrition, is of interest to pet food manufacturers and pet owners alike. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of pre- and post-weaning diets (kibbled or canned) on the composition and function of faecal microbiota in the domestic cat by shotgun metagenomic sequencing and gene taxonomic and functional assignment using MG-RAST. Post-weaning diet had a dramatic effect on community composition; 147 of the 195 bacterial species identified had significantly different mean relative abundances between kittens fed kibbled and canned diets. The kittens fed kibbled diets had relatively higher abundances of Lactobacillus (>100-fold), Bifidobacterium (>100-fold), and Collinsella (>9-fold) than kittens fed canned diets. There were relatively few differences in the predicted microbiome functions associated with the pre-weaning diet. Post-weaning diet affected the abundance of functional gene groups. Genes involved in vitamin biosynthesis, metabolism, and transport, were significantly enriched in the metagenomes of kittens fed the canned diet. The impact of post-weaning diet on the metagenome in terms of vitamin biosynthesis functions suggests that modulation of the microbiome function through diet may be an important avenue for improving the nutrition of companion animals.

The Therapist’s Reaction to a Patient’s Suicide

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich Martin Wurst ◽  
Isabella Kunz ◽  
Gregory Skipper ◽  
Manfred Wolfersdorf ◽  
Karl H. Beine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
General Hospitals ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
Retrospective Nature ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background: A substantial proportion of therapists experience the loss of a patient to suicide at some point during their professional life. Aims: To assess (1) the impact of a patient’s suicide on therapists distress and well-being over time, (2) which factors contribute to the reaction, and (3) which subgroup might need special interventions in the aftermath of suicide. Methods: A 63-item questionnaire was sent to all 185 Psychiatric Clinics at General Hospitals in Germany. The emotional reaction of therapists to patient’s suicide was measured immediately, after 2 weeks, and after 6 months. Results: Three out of ten therapists suffer from severe distress after a patients’ suicide. The item “overall distress” immediately after the suicide predicts emotional reactions and changes in behavior. The emotional responses immediately after the suicide explained 43.5% of the variance of total distress in a regression analysis. Limitations: The retrospective nature of the study is its primary limitation. Conclusions: Our data suggest that identifying the severely distressed subgroup could be done using a visual analog scale for overall distress. As a consequence, more specific and intensified help could be provided to these professionals.

Has Aid Helped in Pakistan?

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (4II) ◽  
pp. 947-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrukh Rafi Khan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Causal Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

This paper has a two-fold objective: first, to examine the terms on which Pakistan receives aid and whether its debt situation is sustainable, and second, to examine the impact of aid and debt on economic growth. It is found that there is little encouraging that can be said about how the terms on which Pakistan has received aid over time have changed, and its current debt situation is not sustainable. Also reported is the analysis done elsewhere which shows that aid has a negative (Granger) causal impact on GDP, and aid has a robust negative impact on economic growth after controlling for supplyside shocks. We provide various reasons for this negative association.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document