Waterloo Community Hub:

Pre-Development Phase Overview

Elizabeth BostonCommunity Development Officer- Neighbourhoodseboston@uwaykw.org

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

eboston@uwaykw.org

519-888-6100 ext. 294