Waterloo Community Hub:
Pre-Development Phase Overview
Elizabeth BostonCommunity Development Officer- [email protected]
Background
• Not a “traditional” approach
• United Way KW’s role
Obtaining Community Feedback
• Before going any further, we needed to get feedback from the community
• Held a meeting in September, discussing:• Common elements of community hubs• Who should the hub should be for? • What types of programs/services/spaces should be there and
why?• Values/philosophical characteristics of the hub• Physical characteristics (ie. location)• Ways in which people can be involved
ResultsThe hub is a good idea because…:•Increase sense of belonging
•Bring more resources to Waterloo
•Increase collaboration & connection between residents, groups, & organizations
•It’s a good way to integrate services specific to community needs
•It could make services more accessible (“one stop shopping”)
•It could provide affordable/free program & activity space
Desired values/characteristics of the hub:
•Social inclusion
•Informal, casual, friendly environment
•Open evenings & weekends
•Diversity of services within the hub
•Willingness to be fluid & adaptable
•Cross-sectoral representation
•Accessible, centralized location
•Wide variety of meeting spaces
•A hub coordinator
•Staff member always on duty
Results
Key concerns:
•The hub would be a duplications of services
•There is a lack of an identified need
•Was not a resident-led initiative
Level of interest in being involved:
•Over half of the attendees reported that they may want to collaborate and take part in the planning discussions
•Almost 1/3 of attendees stated interest in office/program space within the hub
•Many attendees were part of a community/resident group that was interested in space and/or had ideas they wanted to share with the future planning committees
•Only a handful of attendees stated they were not prepared to be involved, but still wanted to receive ongoing updates
Hub Planning
• Planning Sessions• Held two full day planning sessions to discuss authentic collaboration,
define the shared principles, and begin to build a shared understanding for what this Hub could look like and how it might benefit the community
• Working Group• Drafting the mission, vision and values statements
• Drafting a terms of reference and Stakeholder Communication Plan
• Interim Steering Committee• Will be formed to guide the hub initiative for the next 12 months
Key Insights/Learning
• Language is important (“hub” means many things to many people)
• Everyone involved in this development has their own purpose for doing so, therefore transparency is crucial
• Every hub is unique; no two hubs are the same
Help!
• Evaluation and monitoring of hubs?
• Access to resources/capital funding
• Good models that are similar to what we have in mind for Waterloo?
Questions/Comments
Elizabeth Boston, Community Development Coordinator
United Way Kitchener Waterloo & Area
519-888-6100 ext. 294