[Webinar Series] Housing that Connects Us: Innovative Community Programs to Build Social Connection in Rental Housing

Hey Neighbour Collective and United Way BC’s Seniors Housing Working Group are excited to be co-hosting a three-part webinar series on building social connection in rental housing.

The first webinar in the series, Innovative Community Programs to Build Social Connection in Rental Housing, will take place on March 6th, 10:00am-11:30am. This webinar will highlight three examples of innovative community-driven programs that have been implemented in rental housing in BC, featuring presentations and a panel discussion by:

• Stacy Barter, Executive Director, Building Resilient Neighbourhoods & Director of Learning & Evaluation, Hey Neighbour Collective
• Jenny Konkin, President & Co-Founder, Whole Way House
• Claudine Matlo, Executive Director, West End Seniors Network

The webinar will explore the role community-based organizations (CBOs) can play in building social connection and community in rental housing, the successes and challenges programs may encounter, and key lessons that have been learned.

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Please also join us in April and May for the second and third webinars in this series:

The Benefits of Being Enabling Hosts (April 14):

Join us to hear from community-based organizations (CBOs) that deliver in-building programming designed to foster neighbourly connections, strengthen social resilience, and support residents’ sense of belonging throughout different stages of life, helping residents age in place. Learn how these programs help create welcoming, engaged multi-unit housing communities where people feel connected and supported.

We’ll also hear from rental housing operators who are acting as enabling hosts: partnering with CBOs and supporting social programming to build mutual support and shared benefits for both residents and landlords.

Age-Friendly Sociable Design (May, TBD):

Explore innovative approaches to housing design that foster social connection, ensure universal accessibility, and support age-friendly living.

This session will highlight key design principles and considerations across a range of housing projects, including new builds, renovations, and prefabricated construction. We’ll also examine case studies that show how these principles have been successfully applied, along with the municipal contexts that enabled their success.