join our team

Social Health and Well-Being Analyst

Our Stories

Converging Crises and Silver Linings: The Housing Crisis, COVID-19 and Municipal Housing Responses

Sep 15, 2020 | 0 Comments

Urban Matters hosts first in webinar series in response to Covid-19 With the outbreak of the coronavirus, British Columbia’s housing crisis was thrust into the spotlight: communities scrambled to find safe ways to shelter the homeless. Tenants — many of whom already...

what we’re working on

Community-led Responses to the Opioid Crisis in Fort St. John

Over the past year, Urban Matters has worked with the Fort St. John Community Action Team and Healthy Fort St. John (FSJ) to develop collaborative, community-led responses to the opioid crisis in Fort St. John and the surrounding areas of Northeast BC.

Some of the activities and initiatives include dialogue panels, information pop up booths, “feast and learns” with First Nation communities, documentary screenings, and school presentations.

We are collaboratively building toward activities for the FSJ Overdose Awareness week that aligns with International Overdose Awareness day in August. We are proud to be a member of the FSJ Community Action team and are proud of the way Fort St. John and surrounding communities have banded together for the health and safety of local residents.

To learn more about this work, visit www.healthyfsj.ca

Universal Access Design

In 2017 Urban Matters CCC partnered with Stan Leyenhorst (formerly of the Rick Hansen Foundation) to support the development of Universal Access Design Inc., an accessibility consulting and education social venture. Aspiring toward ‘Access for Everyone, Everywhere, All the Time’ Urban Matters CCC provided early stage financial support, mentorship, social venture development expertise, network access and development building, partnership on funded projects together and some early sales development through Urban’s deep connectivity in sectors related to the built environment.

Since 2017, UAD Inc. had expanded and evolved significantly. The company’s team has grown, and they continue to lead accessibility assessment in communities and in the coporate sector. Most recently, UAD Inc., has been working with BC Parks to do accessibility assessments for campsites.

Read more in our recent story, Bringing Wheelchairs into the Wilderness.

PEOPLE Employment Services

PEOPLE Employment Services (PEOPLE) is a Kelowna-based social enterprise that provides training, mentorships, and partnerships that lead to paid employment opportunities for people who use drugs and for people with lived/living experience of homelessness.

Since 2018, Urban Matters CCC has been supporting the incubation of PEOPLE as a social enterprise. We are launching the initiative, designing a sustainable business model, developing partnerships, and exploring suitable incorporation models.

More info on the PEOPLE website.

Purppl

Between 2015 and 2017 Urban Matters CCC partnered with Andrew Greer (then of Accelerate Okanagan, a tech accelerator) to support the development and launch of Purppl (PURposeful PeoPLe), a social enterprise accelerator.

Urban Matters CCC provided early seed funding, mentorship, facilities and equipment, credibility, as well as access to the Urban’s network of potential clients in municipalities and NGOs.

Learn more about PURPPLE’s evolution and work on their website.

Urban Matters CCC helps communities deliver tangible solutions so that people can live happier and healthier lives.

Our team works with governments, social entrepreneurs, and socially-conscious business leaders to identify, introduce, and scale innovations in communities that address complex social issues.

We combine 40+ years of community development experience with social planning and social finance methodologies to achieve results.

Change is hard — we can help.