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Inclusive Housing

Neighbourly Connections & Mutual Support

What we learned

The physical structure of our home is just one aspect of our inclusion in our neighbourhoods and communities. The concerns raised during the Lab included:

  • More awareness of loneliness and social isolation​
  • The effect of the professionalization of care​
  • The increasing culture of individualism ​in North American society
  • The need to consider social infrastructure not just physical infrastructure

Priority actions from our roadmap

Priority Action 1

Connect youth and seniors in Fredericton by integrating an intergenerational focus into the Greener Village and L’Arche cooking skills program

Priority Action 2

Implement and evaluate Neighbourly Connections Programming in the Saint John Supported Independent Living Project

Priority Action 3

Recruit and train Community Connectors in rural areas of New Brunswick

Priority Action 4

Engage residents (with developmental disabilities and women with criminal records) with neighbours to build awareness and mutual support

Priority Action 5

Develop partnerships and implement a Neighbourly Connections Pilot within one or more buildings or housing developments

Inclusive Housing Webinar Series

Going from 4 Walls to no Walls – Why Neighbour Connections are so Important

Presentation by Heather Keam, Associate Director of Tamarack Institute,

with her guest, Wendy McCaig, Executive Director of Embrace Communities.

WATCH RECORDING HERE

 

 

Activating Faith Properties for Housing

Presentation by Graham Singh, CEO, Trinity Centres Foundation

Activating Faith Properties for Housing Webinar Screenshot

WATCH RECORDING HERE

Examples of Neighbourly Connection Initiatives

Hey Neighbour Collective, Vancouver, BC ↗

Together with residents of multi-unit housing, The Collective experiments with and learn about ways of alleviating loneliness and social isolation while building capacity for neighbourly support and mutual aid.

Keep Neighbouring: Neighbourhood Community Development, Edmonton, AB ↗

Keep Neighbouring: Neighbourhood Community Development in Edmonton is a grassroots initiative fostering neighbour to neighbour relationships. The goal — to cultivate a culture of care and connection, increase the sense of belonging and inclusion, and ultimately create a more healthy and livable city — one block at a time.

Are you involved in a neighbourly community initiative? Want to connect with one of the groups working on the action plan?

Our Housing Coordinator is here to help!

Get in touch!