Power of collaboration to bring about meaningful impact

Collaboration is not always a straight-line process. But once it’s followed through, it could lead to a more significant and meaningful impact. In recent times, there has been a noticeable shift on the boards of non-profits from moving away from what works best for their organization to serving the community as best they can.

With a focus on collaboration, Capacity Canada hosted a panel discussion on ‘Collaborative Affordable Housing Initiatives’ during its three-day Manulife Board Governance BootCamp held on November 5, 6 and 7. This session’s goal was to widen views and understanding about collaborating in the broader public good approaches using affordable housing projects as an example.

“There is a growing shift on the boards of non-profit organizations to move away from what is best for their specific organization. Increasingly, boards are focusing on systems thinking and are moving towards a larger commitment to common causes. The board seeks opportunities that revolve around envisioning how the whole community can be served better through collaboration. And, this collaboration is not always with the usual suspects. The panel discussion at Capacity Canada’s Governance BootCamp is a frank and hopeful analysis of organizations working together to bring about innovative change,” said Cathy Brothers, CEO, Capacity Canada.

The panel session included three speakers and was led by Capacity Canada’s Fred Galloway. It brought together three different perspectives about collaboration in response to the challenge of affordable housing. The panel emphasized the importance of collaboration and how vital that is to make affordable housing come to life and flourish. The speakers leading the session were Graham Cubitt, Laurie Kitchen and Chuck Burt.

The availability of affordable housing is a challenge faced by numerous communities across Canada. Thousands of struggling Canadians spend more than half of their income on housing, while experts advise not to spend more than 30 percent of what you earn. With the ever-growing demand, there is an urgent need for more affordable housing. The speakers for the panel pointed out how churches could offer unique solutions and perspectives, especially those with real estate and congregational will, to solve the problem of affordable housing.

“It’s critical that we start to work a lot more together than we have in the past. We really have to get over ourselves. It’s not about my organization or me, and it’s not about recognition. It’s about doing something for everybody else. It’s about the community. We need to accept that we are all in this together, and we will make this place better if we all work together,” said Laurie Kitchen, board member, Trillium Lutheran Church.

Laurie was one of the key members of the transition team at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, on both the congregational amalgamation and the property disposition side. St. Mark’s amalgamated with two other local Lutheran churches to become Trillium Lutheran Church in late 2018. And St. Mark’s sold their property at a reduced market value to Indwell Homes in 2019. “It was a long process, and this bold decision took 3.5 years to happen,” she added.

“It’s been our approach to embrace collaboration. We need to work with the organizations involved to go through the process of understanding community needs. Our approach is to taking new forms to leverage the resources, capabilities, and capacities of other groups to deliver affordable housing. The experience we have gained over the past decade has been empowered by others through collaboration,” said Graham Cubitt, the director of projects & development at Indwell. Indwell is a Hamilton-based Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities that support people seeking health, wellness and belonging.

Graham has overseen housing development for over 600 households in southern Ontario, with another 1,000 apartments in construction and various planning phases. Indwell’s approach to affordable housing focuses on creating vibrant, livable communities – often through adaptive-reuse of derelict buildings or by new construction. “It is equally important to continue to pass on the experience to empower others who want to see a change in their communities,” Cubitt added.

“Collaboration is not simple, and it involves risks, but it’s worth it. The future is bright in terms of collaboration. We must come together as groups and be willing to put more on the table as a community. We need to focus on issues that are important for the community to solve,” said Chuck Burt, congregational redevelopment advisor, Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, pointed out. “The role of the board in this process is crucial,” he added.

Burt helps churches in re-imagining their future through the redevelopment of their real property. He helps them discover opportunities to carve the future for community housing and program support models. Burt also pointed out that all those involved need to be respectful and ensure that no information is shared with outside groups.

During the closing notes, the panel urged organizations to embrace the complexity of the process. “There’s not a perfect path to collaboration. It really is figuring things out as you go. Learn from others but don’t shy away from the complexity and don’t quit,” added Cubitt.

While it may not be an easy process, high-value, cost-effective and sustainable affordable housing with supports is possible when people work together for shared long-term benefits.

And if it’s possible to use collaboration as a means to do better for the communities, then the question is – why not?