The Latest

Improving self-sufficiency for families in Worcester County, Massachusetts

How can people experiencing homelessness be supported to get back on their feet? One example from a Cities Reducing Poverty member, in the county of Massachusetts, USA, demonstrates the value of believing in and investing in people. Many of the core members of OpT (Opportunity Tri-Communities) have shifted their efforts in the pandemic, while continuing to work on building resilience in the community. One husband and wife team, who took on an old Victorian building (initially to use the main floor for his medical practice) with rooms have shown a shelter is not merely bricks and mortar or a place to sleep. A shelter can be a safe space, enable healing and a champion for human potential.

Read More

Building Resilience in Communities (across Hawai’i Island)

In September, Vibrant Hawai'i (a Cities Reducing Poverty member) launched its island-wide Resilience Hubs Initiative as a community response to the pandemic. With the basic principle to put power and resources into the hands of the community, these hubs are enhanced community spaces designed and managed by local residents.

Read More

Unity and Resilience Never Mattered More

It's weeks before Christmas. Uptown Manhattan, NYC. I'm in a room full of frighteningly extraordinary people: religious leaders who practise the art of disaster chaplaincy.

Read More

Telling a Neighbourhood Resiliency Story by Reading the Data

When Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) decided to pilot a neighbourhood resiliency map for Toronto’s Wards 13 & 14 it asked Jose A. Lao and Santessa Henriques for help. Resiliency is the ability of a community to cope with extreme stressors, make the very best of them, and bounce back afterwards. It sounds straightforward but measuring it is not so simple. 

Read More