Community Housing Values Mapping

What are the unique strenghts of individuals, families and overall community within the Grant McNeil Social Housing complex and how can these strengths be used to strengthen the self efficacy, community connection and esteem of those living in the complex.
Objectives
We hope to enhance the lives of those living within Grant McNeil by helping them to identify their own unique abilites and by putting these to action both within the smaller community of 120 housing units and throughout their larger community of the Lower Lonsdale region of North Vancouver. We'd like to increase resident's ability and willingness to take leadership within their own community and increase community capacity.

To be developed - approximately:
Meet with residents - 20 interviews
Talk with local professionals - 8 interviews
Community Project Presentation - 2 meetings
10 - 20 page paper outlining findings

There are 120 residential units within a BC Housing Complex, within the larger community of Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver. Lower Lonsdale is experiencing incredible growth which has increased the cost of housing and food prices within the community, in most cases sqeezing out the more vulnerable historical residents. Grant McNeil Housing is the exception. In speaking to residents of Grant McNeil, both youth and adult, they do not see themselves reflected in their own community. Our agency has hired 2 community resident engagement workers, CREW, who live within the housing project to provide resident connection and organize community events. While there has been an increase in the number of residents willing to accept service there has been little increase in the number of residents who step up to contribute and share their skills.

We'd like to continue to work within the community to share resources and skills with each other, increasing thier sense of connection and fiscal opportunity. This information would be shared with residents, BC Housing and local service providers. It would directly impact the way we bring services to the community and allow us to work with the community to build services that are accessible and useful. It is hoped that through the process, residents will become engaged in leading their own projects, such as childcare coops and barter systems. In addition, and more pressingly, once residents have the opportunity to see themselves and their neighbours from a values asset model we hope to find less open conflict within the immediate community.

We believe that creating opportunities for the residents of Grant McNeil to take leadership within their own community and throughout Lower Lonsdale will increase residents participation and voice, increasing a sense of belonging and value.

North Shore Neighbourhood House/JBCC

North Vancouver, in particularily the Lower Lonsdale community

North Shore Neighbourhood House "promotes commuity, cooperatoin, respect and mutual understanding through the provision of programs and services designed to meet the needs of the indivudual and the community as a whole. JBCC byline reads "where neighbours meet" and is a partnership between the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, North Shore Neighbourhood House and the City of North Vancouver and is governed by a community Governance Model.