OPT #10 - Foundation, Community and Affordable Housing...

I started yesterday morning thinking about how communities can change themselves in ways that will change our province and eventually our world.a) Develop a comprehensive housing strategy that enables mixed income neighbourhoods, affordability, supported housing options and co-op housing; And this is what Social Development has come up with: Hope is a Home

Then I had a meeting with the New Brunswick Non Profit Housing Association.

We here at the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation are helping them out with their upcoming conference. We are doing an Open Space on "How can we build more inclusive communities together?"

This is a really fundamental piece in the puzzle that is Poverty Reduction, and a real way that communities can change themselves and our world. Because if we don't have a place to live, where we feel safe, secure and comfortable, we are always seeking that place out, we lack stabilty, we aren't grounded - basically a house without a foundation.

This may seem like a personal challenge for the person who has no home, but it's way bigger than that, it a challenge to that person's family and friends, their community and our province.

We all need to contribute, share our "gift" with our neighbours, our community and

ultimately the world. We all possess skills, thoughts, ideas, or at least some skill, partial thoughts or the start of a good idea - what we need is the connection to fulfill our potential. How can anyone connect with another without a home and food to eat- they can't, and how can we transform our community without contribution from all - We Can't.



So here is the piece of the OPT plan that directly relates with Housing:

Opportunities for Belonging (community participation)
a) Develop a comprehensive housing strategy that enables mixed income neighbourhoods, affordability, supported housing options and co-op housing; and Social Development's response. Hope is a Home

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home." - Confucius