At Home in a Neighbourhood Where I Belong

Over 100,000 Canadians with intellectual disabilities long for a home in communities where they belong. Many are isolated and at risk of harm, and accessible, affordable housing is scarce. So are the person-centred supports and social networks that are necessary for their well-being and social inclusion.

This Solutions Lab brings together stakeholders from different sectors with persons with disabilities and their families. It includes both a Community Lab in New Brunswick and a National Community of Practice. Participants will identify challenges to building inclusive housing, share knowledge and co-create and test solutions for creating inclusive, affordable housing.

Project scope and expected outcomes

Individualized and community-based housing solutions

Traditional approaches to providing housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not working. Collaborative models and approaches are needed to promote individualized and community-based housing solutions. More research needs to be done and barriers that exist between regions and organizations must be addressed. This lab works towards that by building diverse partnerships to create housing solutions.

Persons with developmental disabilities and their families take a central role

The lab blends several different social innovation approaches. The prototype Community Lab in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick will feature a series of workshops. A national community of practice will complement this by enabling shared learning between the local lab and national partners. Persons with developmental disabilities and their families will take a central role as co-learners and co-leaders.

The lab will follow 5 phases:

1. The Definition Phase will see the development of the Lab work plan and engagement strategy. Initial framing research will begin, as will creation of the timeline and collaboration agreements.
2. The Discovery Phase involves a lab session at the Community Lab to deepen the shared understanding of housing issues. A Community of Practice session will explore issues named by the Community Lab.
3. The Development Phase includes another prototype Community Lab session, as participants identify potential innovations and develop plans to test solutions. Opportunity areas for prototyping will be identified and prototype teams will be established. A Community of Practice session will discuss solutions produced by the prototype community.
4. The Prototype and Delivery Phase will include the development of solutions and testing strategies. The Community Lab will select the best solutions for further development, refinement and testing. The Community of Practice will provide feedback on the emerging solutions.
5. The Roadmap Phase involves identifying insights and lessons learned from the prototypes. A roadmap will be created from the most promising ones, and opportunities will be identified for future implementation.

Inspire and mobilize

Interested groups from across Canada can see the key lessons, infographics, stories, reports, social media posts and videos from the lab to inspire and mobilize audiences. Academic and research partners can review the learnings and prototype solutions, and to help share findings.