At first glance, it seems like a simple problem to solve. We notice a vacant storefront, or a school with empty classrooms after hours, while community groups struggle to find affordable space for their activities. How hard can it be to fill these underused rooms for community benefit?

Over the last 2 years, we’ve heard from lots of organizations at both ends of this issue: both those who are looking for space, and those who have spaces to offer. This is what we’ve heard so far:

• Finding affordable, accessible, appropriate spaces for gathering is an issue that cuts across all sectors. Whether you’re trying to host a discussion circle, run a youth sports league, or cook a communal meal, groups of all kinds everywhere in Waterloo Region are feeling squeezed for space.
• Venue hosts would love to make space available to community, but there are practical roadblocks. Who locks up? Are there staff on site? How might room bookings unintentionally interfere with other activities that the host organization needs to do? What are the liability and insurance implications? These are questions for which there are no easy answers, and without an easy-to-use toolkit, many hosts don’t have the capacity to work through them.
• Collaboration and good relationships are key to success. Not every activity is right for every space, and the relationships that work best are those where there is an open line of communication and mutual benefits for both the host and the organization using the space.

There is incredible potential for us to unlock community spaces, foster closer connections between different organizations, and even spark unlikely partnerships. At the very least, there is value in trying to solve some of the sticky logistical issues that crop up time and time again. 

That’s why One Million Neighbours is launching its next project: Unlocking Community Space. Building off of our existing work with the Neighbourhood Services Map, we know which pockets of Waterloo Region are most in need of community space. It is our hope that we can work with venue hosts in those neighbourhoods to make space available to community and benefit everyone.

If this sounds like something your organization is interested in, we’d love to partner with you. The more partners we can work with, the stronger this pilot project will be. Whether you have space to offer, or you are an organization seeking bookable space, we would love to include you as a partner in our grant applications. Fill out the short survey here: https://forms.gle/osxaHZgXw1jrmGoF9