Hey Neighbour Collective to benefit from CMHC support

We’re thrilled to announce that Hey Neighbour Collective is one of ten 2020 recipients of a CMHC Demonstrations Initiative grant. The announcement was made by Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on April 9^th 2021.¹

This grant will support work from March 1^st 2021 through to June 30^th 2022 with four of our five practice partners. Together we’ll be exploring social sustainability innovations for affordable multi-unit rental housing. In particular, we’ll be highlighting the role that landlords, property managers and policy-makers can play in the process of building community, social connectedness and resilience in multi-unit housing contexts.

You can read more about our Demonstrations Initiative here and check out other recipients here.

Each of our four partners will work in their respective housing contexts on an approach that is customized to them.

Brightside Community Homes Foundation is a charitable non-profit organization that owns and manages 26 buildings in Vancouver. They are supporting a number of community development initiatives to build resilience and community among residents who struggle to meet the financial demands of market housing, mostly seniors.
Catalyst Community Developments Society is a non-profit developer, owner and operator of non-market rental housing. They are carrying out their Community Connections program, which includes landlord-led and landlord-supported social events, workshops and town hall meetings.
Building Resilient Neighbourhoods is a non-profit society that focuses on creating more resilient communities and neighbourhoods. Their Connect & Prepare program builds emergency preparedness and community resilience by strengthening social connections between immediate neighbours. Workshops enable neighbours to get to know each other, identify priorities and implement shared preparedness projects in their building.
West End Seniors’ Network is the second-largest independent seniors’ centre in Vancouver. Its Close to Home initiative builds connections and addresses isolation and loneliness in buildings with higher proportions of older adults. Resident volunteers organize activities to encourage neighbours to gather. Older adults with transportation or mobility challenges are more likely to participate because they don’t need to leave their building.

Together, these projects showcase a range of innovations that could ultimately be adopted to multi-unit housing across the country. Each demonstration will evaluate the impact that their activities and approaches have on their organizations’ well-being and business goals and on their residents’ well-being. They will also develop best practices and guides for enhancing social sustainability in multi-unit housing contexts.

Learn more about Hey Neighbour Collective’s partners here, and our approach to collaborating.