I have to tell you a secret: I am a fan of radical collaboration.
This type of collaboration requires engaging in conversations on broader social issues with a wide diversity of stakeholders. And at the forefront of these actors are the people or communities directly affected by these issues.
It is not always easy to discuss complex issues while putting our own interests aside. But it allows us to devote our full attention to the people we are trying to help.
This model is that of Centraide. This ability to bring together and take action in the fight against poverty and social exclusion is our superpower. And he guided the work of the Acceleration Group for the Optimization of the Racecourse Project (GALOPH). This group worked to define a district which will be located on the land of the former Montreal racecourse and which should allow the development of more than 10,000 housing units sheltered from real estate speculation, in particular 4,800 social or community housing units including 60% would have three or four bedrooms.
The three levels of government welcomed this work and announced investments that will allow detailed studies to be carried out. That’s excellent news. Even better, no voice has been heard to decry one aspect or another of the project.
Hand in handain
Centraide is on the front lines of the housing crisis. We see its effects on a daily basis: it exerts pressure on the community in the form of increased use of food banks, mental health problems, school failures, isolation, etc.
Two years ago, we decided to lean into our superpower and take action. The goal was simple: to mobilize civil society on this issue and to support the different levels of government. Same simplicity as far as our motto is concerned: it had to work, we had to be agile and put the talents of as many people to work as possible.
Representatives from the world of business, unions, real estate, community, mobility and sustainable development joined this radical collaboration.
We needed evidence in order, among other things, to better understand the impact on individuals and to avoid the traditional discourse on the “number of doors”, which is not very inspiring.
We thus participated in the publication of the report Vital signs on the housing situation in Greater Montreal1 (November 2022) with the Foundation of Greater Montreal. McKinsey agreed to produce – pro bono – a residual income index2 which made it possible to give a human face to the current housing crisis. We held a unifying event, Acting Together for Housing, last May.
Centraide of Greater Montreal was both a partner and catalyst for a broad mobilization of civil society to address the housing crisis. The spark of GALOPH is therefore part of this mobilization: civil society which sets out to find solutions. And governments got on board in turn, showing a generosity matched only by the competence of the human resources they lent.
I am convinced that last week’s announcement is not an end, but the beginning of a long road towards other similar collaborations.
Social issues are increasingly complex and costly. If members of civil society agree to engage in the search for solutions, hand in hand with levels of government and communities, we will only be better served.
There is no single actor who has the solution, nor enough money. By inviting partners from different backgrounds to radical collaboration, we will find innovative solutions.
A political actor recently told me that what we need to take action is not always a precise plan accompanied by magnificent 3D presentations. Often, a good dose of will and commitment is enough.
In the fight against poverty and social exclusion, this is generally the case. And the GALOPH came as a reminder of the enormous impact we can have when we put aside our respective interests to serve a larger group.
What do you think ? Participate in the dialogue
1. Read the report Vital signs on the housing situation in Greater Montreal
2. Read Housing facts and indicatorsproduced by McKinsey and United Way
reference: www.lapresse.ca