Scroll

Urban Matters co-creates better outcomes for communities who face complex social problems.

Our
Initiatives

Our Initiatives

Abbotsford, BC

Affordable Housing Strategy

Recognizing a growing need for affordable and attainable housing in the community, the City of Abbotsford engaged Urban Matters to help determine current and future housing needs across the housing continuum. Through this Strategy, Urban Matters helped the City maintain focus on supporting diverse neighbourhoods to thrive, which also supports social and economic vibrancy. The Affordable Housing Strategy provides information to aid the City in decision-making and convening partnerships across all levels of government and with private sector and non-profit partners to facilitate affordable housing development.

Abbotsford, BC

Affordable Housing Strategy

Nanaimo, BC

Social Needs Assessment Strategy

Urban Matters worked with the Regional District of Nanaimo to develop a Social Needs Assessment and Strategy that presented key findings and data on the current state of poverty and social needs in the region, as well as recommendations to address social needs both regionally and in the region’s diverse communities. The focus of this project was on synthesizing recent work done across the region with new research conducted through background review, public survey, Game Changers Workshops, workshops with elected officials, sharing circles, and stakeholder interviews. Eight key recommendations were presented, including core practices for generating systems change within local government and service providers, and an evaluation and tracking framework.

Nanaimo, BC

Social Needs Assessment Strategy

Kelowna, BC

Emergency Shelter Plan, Indigenous Peer Navigator Program, Complex Needs Advocacy

Urban Matters worked alongside the City of Kelowna’s Social Development Team on the Community Emergency Shelter Plan and Indigenous Peer Navigation and Cultural Mentorship program. The program supports people with lived/living experience of substance use, homelessness and poverty with employment and mentorship in navigating services in the community. The community is creating systems change within the social serving sector through the creation of a project team of committed community partners and stakeholders that provide guidance and support to the 3-year project. Partners have come together with an interest in building relationships to develop strategies that support meaningful reconciliation, as well as remove barriers to accessing culturally safe services.

Kelowna, BC

Emergency Shelter Plan, Indigenous Peer Navigator Program, Complex Needs Advocacy

We are Innovative

We create new ways to
approach systemic issues.

Existing systems and structures no longer serve to benefit everyone. Changing these systems requires new and innovative perspectives that target the root of these complex problems. With our team’s diverse experience and skill sets, we work alongside those who are most impacted to rethink the new ways to make everyone’s lives rewarding. Through our Community Contribution Company (CCC) structure, we are then able to reinvest our profits for this work in other communities.

We are Innovative

We create new ways to approach systemic issues.

We are Change Agents

We connect people in the system with people who design the system.

We are the intermediaries between the world of systems and people who live in these systems. We are humbled by our need to listen to those with lived experiences to better inform our work, but still have the expertise and qualifications to reach those in policy.

We are Change Agents

We connect people in the system with people who design the system.

We are Adaptive

We work in the communities we’re invited into, across any areas they need.

Because the needs of our society are ever changing, we must be responsive. Our scope of work cannot be summed up with a definitive list of practice areas— we work in an ambiguous territory that requires not only invitation, but also proactive assessment of the changing needs most pertinent in our communities.

We are Adaptive

We work in the communities we’re invited into, across any areas they need.

We are Inclusive

We are allies that uplift the
voices of everyone.

Within every project and program we build, we are mindful of the ways we can implement intersectional inclusivity. We are respectful learners, eager to listen to everyone irrespective of their gender, sexuality, identity, social class, ethnicity. Together with our key partners, we aim to create a positive change that benefits society as a whole, rather than just a few.

We are Inclusive

We are allies that uplift the voices of everyone.

Meet The Urban Matters Team

We’re a team of advisors that work alongside municipalities, communities, cities, governments, NPOs, First Nations, social entrepreneurs, and socially conscious business leaders to identify, introduce, and scale innovations that address complex social issues, so that people can live happier and healthier lives.