Making Home-Ownership More Accessible: A Solutions Lab

The Think Tank has continued to provide advice on the project, playing a key role in developing solutions in response to the problem. Members of the Think Tank include people with lived experience in accessing community housing and experiencing homelessness, other community members, and stakeholders from the financial, technology, and development sectors.

Four solutions have the potential to encourage transitions to homeownership if implemented. These solutions have become clearer over time based on feedback from surveys and engagement sessions. More information about the four solutions is included in the Project Update. One solution is the Homeownership Hub, a website that provides resources and supports for homeownership located in one place for new homeowners or those thinking of purchasing a home. Ten families have piloted the Homeownership Hub, providing helpful feedback on improving the website.

Our current work focuses on taking the solutions and identifying partnerships that will help make the solutions a reality. We are developing a roadmap that includes the next steps, a timeline, and key people to put the solutions in place.

The next opportunity to participate in the Solutions Lab is through sharing information about the Homeownership Hub with your social media networks during the soft launch on August 26, 2021. The Homeownership Hub will be launched on the Region’s social media accounts that day. To learn more and to access the Homeownership Hub, visit the Homeownership Hub on the web.

If you are interested in learning more about the progress of the Solutions Lab project since March 2021, please open the Project Update.

The Region of Waterloo Solutions Lab Project Team formed a Think Tank of 25 members in October 2020 to advise on the project. Members include people with lived experience in community housing and/or homelessness, other community members, and stakeholders from the financial, technology, and development sectors.

The Think Tank participated in four sessions focused on generating ideas and developing solutions. Four solutions came out of this work, which have become clearer over time based on feedback. More information about the four solutions, or prototypes identified by the Think Tank is included in the Project Update. One of the prototypes is a Homeownership Hub, which would be a website where resources and supports would be located in one place for new homeowners or those thinking of purchasing a home.

Next steps include gathering feedback on the proposed solutions from a broader range of stakeholders, further building out the Homeownership Hub as a pilot with the support of at least ten families, and determining how solutions will be put in place.

The next opportunity to participate is through a webinar on March 25, 2021. The webinar will provide an overview of the project, including learnings and strategies that were developed, and will speak to the next steps after the project wrap-up. To register for the webinar or learn more, see the Key Dates section of the Engage Page.

If you are interested in learning more about the role and engagement of the Think Tank in the Solutions Lab project since October, please open the Project Update.