For the past 3 years, the Affordable Housing and Solutions Lab has been supporting At Home in Highlands (AHiH), a neighbourhood group formed by residents living in Highlands, a mature neighbourhood in east Edmonton, Alberta. A report detailing this project is available here.
AHiH group members came together roughly 10 years ago around a shared belief in the power of welcoming, hospitality, diversity, and inclusion, and a shared concern regarding the lack of affordable housing options in the neighbourhood. Group members invited neighbours living in Highlands to join and actively welcome new neighbours, many of whom were beginning a process of abstinence-based residential treatment in the Highlands neighbourhood.
Working collaboratively, and in partnership with several community-based organizations, AHiH implemented a number of community-based activities to engage neighbours. The overarching goal was to support these individuals through their journeys and foster a more connected, more resilient, and more inclusive neighbourhood.
After several years of experimentation, the group embarked upon a process of self-evaluation. In the fall of 2022, the City of Edmonton provided funds through the Community Safety and Wellbeing program to the Highlands Community league for those involved in At Home in Highlands to document their approach and reflect upon its impact on the neighbourhood.
This process of reflection documented AHiH’s activities, identified impacts on group members, neighbours in recovery, and the community at large, and sketched out a roadmap showing how other communities might replicate the initiative in their neighbourhood. This roadmap, shown in the figure below, involves fostering social connection, partnering with neighbourhood organizations, building relationships, learning about each other’s needs and exploring solutions together.
More information about AHiH can be found at: https://www.highlandscommunity.ca/programs/at-home-in-highlands/