Happy Cities releases Together, Apart toolkit
Hey Neighbour Collective partners contributed to this guidebook of engagement ideas to help stimulate creative thinking about ways to help people stay connected and feel supported during times of physical distancing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of human life in communities around the world. From the tragic loss of life to the toll on people’s physical and mental health; to the impact on healthcare systems and the weakened overall international economy, the pandemic presents complex challenges.
Loneliness and isolation are two key challenges.
We hadn’t seen COVID-19 coming. However, as part of our work, we felt it was important to develop a brief guidebook with engagement ideas that can help people stay connected and feel supported during physical distancing. We worked with Happy Cities to put together engagement ideas for housing operators and residents of multi-unit buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to plan activities
Through this guide, we are proposing several activities that might support people’s needs and help them stay safely connected. These ideas are meant to be a starting point for residents and organizations to continue brainstorming and developing activities suited to their unique building.
Please note that this toolkit was completed prior to late fall 2020 heightening of public health restrictions. We urge you to take care to adapt any ideas you find here to current health restrictions. In BC, you can learn about those here: BC COVID-19 Health Restrictions.
Read the rest of the Together Apart Toolkit (PDF), including more in-depth info on:
- Identifying residents’ needs & priorities
- Enabling connections through ‘social equity’
- Looking out for residents’ health and safety
- Engagement ideas and activity examples
- Additional resources, including research sources.