NDG COMMUNITY SPACE COALITION
The NDG Community Space Coalition was initially formed in December 2009 following a series of needs assessment and visioning exercises between more than a dozen NDG community groups, with the Council being mandated with the coordination role. The main objective for the Coalition since that time has been to ensure that every community organization in NDG has access to affordable and adequate space for their work, and ensure that these shared spaces are universally accessible for all. Through collective advocacy, the Space Coalition was instrumental in supporting Head & Hands transform the Old Benny Library into their new permanent home in 2016. Following this accomplishment, many community members successfully pushed for access to community space to be included in the NDG Community Strategic Plan in 2016, and access to space was selected among the 5 Goals of the Plan. Coordinated by NDG Community Council.
VISION & VALUES
- Accessibility
- Health and Environment
- Innovation and Collaboration
- Sustainability
APPROACH:
GOALS:
- Ensure that every community organization in NDG has an affordable and adequate space for their work, and ensure that these shared spaces are universally accessible for all.
- Regenerate a healthy urban environment by ensuring that the design and construction of all community spaces is carried out according to green building principles and practices.
- Inspire creativity and collective learning through the day-to-day information sharing and cross-pollination that happens naturally when organizations share spaces and resources.
- Develop a model that will enable organizations to engage in long-term, holistic work without worrying about the stability of their physical spaces.
Highlights
In 2020, the Space Coalition participated in the process or requalification of the Empress building in Sherbrooke street. The coalition arranged a co-design workshop with the community and participated in the public consultation launched by the borough. ( click here for more details about the ideas presented to the borough).
You can also click here for more information about the different ideas presented to the borough in line with the Empress requalification.
MEMBERS
- The Depot Community Food Centre
- Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi NDG
- Bienvenue à NDG,
- Head & Hands
- Loyola Youth Center
- Westhaven Community Centre
- HCNDG
- Espace Knox
- Notre-Dame-des-Arts
- CMTQ
- Trinity Foundation
- NDG Community Council as Coalition chair,
All are welcome to join.
DOCUMENTS & USEFUL LINKS
An online plateforme launched by the “Comité régional pour l’accès à des locaux abordables et accessibles” to share information about available space for the OBNL and community organisations in Montréal.
The “Initiative immobilière communautaire du Grand Montréal” helps community organisations and OBNL in Grand Montréal to acquire their own space. The Initiative offers different solutions at different phases of the project with respect to the needs of organisations.