e: info@slcanada.org

Publications and Resources

Are you interested in sharing your own SL learning?

We are building a community of SL practice and encourage you to share any tools, resources and/or reports that you are developing. 

Do let us know if you want to share info@slcanada.org .

SL Toolkit

Resources and tools to build an understanding of the Sustainable Livelihood framework

SL Backgrounder

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SLC Asset Map Guide

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SLC Livelihoods Continuun

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SLC Asset Mapping Tool

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SLC My Plan Tool

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Momentum - Community Capacity Asset Framework

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CFL SL Theory of Change Graphic

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SL Classics

Reports from Foundational Sustainable Livelihoods learning and evaluation projects by the SLC team

Beyond Survival: Helping women transition out of poverty (a five-year study of the results and effective practices from 10 women self-employment training and social purpose enterprise development programs), Canadian Women’s Foundation Collaborative Fund for Economic Development, 2008 (Janet Murray, Mary Ferguson and Claire Letemendia) Beyond Survival

Women in Transition Out of Poverty, CWF Women and Economic Development Consortium, 2001-2 (Janet Murray and Mary Ferguson, Eko Nomos).

Part One, An asset-based approach to building sustainable livelihoods (2001), examines the idea of Sustainable Livelihoods from the perspective of low-income women. It introduces the concept of livelihood assets, explores the context that makes women vulnerable to poverty, identifies the strategies that women use to build assets, and sketches the general stages that women go through as they move towards a sustainable livelihood. Part 1

Part Two, A Guide to Effective Practice in Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods through Enterprise Development (2002) is a companion to the original piece and completes the narrative overview of the Sustainable Livelihoods framework. It investigates the connections between women’s stages of transformation and the design of economic development programs. Some practical strategies, techniques and tools are offered to support organizations in strengthening or implementing a Sustainable Livelihood approach in their work. It concludes with a discussion of the policy and funding implications of this approach. Part 2

Institute for Development Studies, University of Sussex, Sustainable Livelihoods Guidance Sheets. As a whole, this set of Guidance Sheets attempts to summarize and share emerging thinking on the sustainable livelihoods approach. It does not offer definitive answers and guidelines. Instead, it is intended to stimulate readers to reflect on the approach and make their own contributions to its further development. IDS SL Guidance Sheets

Engaging Users, Reducing Harm: Collaborative Research Exploring the Practice and Results of Harm Reduction, United Way of Greater Toronto, (Janet Murray and Mary Ferguson, Eko Nomos), 2005. Engaging Users, Reducing Harm

The Business of Inclusion, Report on the evaluation of the Toronto Enterprise, 2004. (Janet Murray and Mary Ferguson).  The Business of Inclusion

Recent SLC Projects

Reports from SLC’s recent programs and evaluation

  • Steps toward a Sustainable Livelihood: External Evaluation of the Sustainable Livelihoods Coaching Pilot Project (2018–20) Report 1: Participant Outcomes, Prepared for ONESTEP and SL Canada by Cathexis Consultants (April 2018).

    Cathexis-SLC-Outcomes-Evaluation-Report

Partners’ SL Reports

Our partners are doing some amazing work too.  Here are some links to their work.

Momentum, Calgary, AB

Momentum is a leader in Sustainable Livelihoods, and has been embedding SL practice into its programming and evaluation for over twenty years. Over the years, the momentum team has developed its own flavour of SL, creating customized evaluation tools and practices.

Momentum’s customized SL framework/theory of change:  Sustainable-Livelihoods.pdf (momentum.org) 

Momentum’s 45 minute self-assessment/asset mapping course on-line:  https://courses.momentum.org/

YWCA Toronto, Toronto, ON

This YWCA Building Sustainable Futures Compendium shares learning from a five-year national participatory research initiative, the YWCA Building Sustainable Futures (BSF) project, funded by the Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program (ALLESP), Government of Canada. The model draws on an adaptation of the Sustainable Livelihoods approach developed through YWCA Toronto’s participation in a 2004-2009 Canadian Women’s Foundation project (Canadian Women’s Foundation and Eko Nomos Program Development Consultants—Beyond Survival report)

English: YWCA – Building Sustainable Futures Compendium

French: YWCA: Construire les avenires durables resume et trousses

Family Services of Windsor and Essex, Windsor, ON

FSWE has been embedding SL thinking into its programs and monitoring/evaluation. Early on, they developed a theory of change based on the SL approach, that “explains the steps we take and assumptions we believe to achieve the impact that we want to see in the world”. FSWE Theory of Change Poster

Resources for Results, Toronto, ON

Learnings from the evaluation of the Community Harm Reduction Response Teams (CHRRT) project of Street Health in Toronto, Canada

Tools:

Harm Reduction Reports:

This is an executive summary of the learnings of CHRRTs research into low-threshold community HR and the main approaches to HR pursued in CHRRT project.

This paper is a HR capacity checklist compiled from KT workshops and interview findings. Capacity statements, visions for change, and tips are provided to help readers understand the capacities and resources required to engage HRSWs for an effective low-threshold HR response.  

This executive summary provides a brief overview of the findings of the evaluation of the CHRRT model, assessing its effectiveness as a strategy for promoting the broader engagement of marginalized communities in HR programming.