About the Lab
Where we started
In 2020, this Solutions Lab set out to explore the following design challenge:
How might we enable seniors from diverse backgrounds living in urban and rural settings and system stakeholders to participate in a design process that increases the suite of innovative and diverse affordable housing options available to seniors that promote community inclusion and proactive responses to affordability issues?
Seniors in Peel navigate complex systems to craft their optimal housing situation to fulfill their social, emotional, and physical needs in an affordable way. This Solutions Lab aims to bring seniors from Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga and other stakeholders together to generate a suite of desirable, feasible, and viable housing solutions for seniors in Peel.
Why Seniors?
Population projections suggest by 2041, one in five residents in Peel will be over the age of 65 (Ministry of Finance Population Projections).
From 2001 to 2016, the population of seniors in the Region of Peel increased by 124.4%. In 2016, senior-led households made up 20.0% of all households in the region, up from 16.7% in 2011 (Statistics Canada Census Profiles). This proportion is expected to continue to increase as the Baby Boomer generation ages.
As the senior population continues to increase, the question of “how” and “where” seniors will age is top of mind for all levels of government, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only do seniors experience a unique set of challenges as they age, such as increased health risks and concerns, but they intersect and exacerbate other challenges, such as financial vulnerability. As a result, appropriate, affordable housing options for this priority population are needed now more than ever to ensure seniors living in Peel have access to safe, desirable, and affordable housing options.
What we learned
Through our work with the Community Design Team and other participants, four opportunity spaces emerged—where promising solutions to address seniors’ housing needs in Peel may lie:
-
1
Designing desirable new housing options for seniors that take advantage of underutilized spaces in the Region of Peel
-
2
Affording the ability for seniors to remain in their homes or communities as their financial or health circumstances change
-
3
Exploring housing opportunities that orient around seniors as valuable members of communities who have much to contribute
-
4
Empowering seniors to learn about and contribute to the broad array of housing options that can meet their diverse needs and desires
The Solutions Lab Process
This initiative follows a Solutions Lab process across five phases, as outlined by the National Housing Strategy Solutions Lab program.
Definition
This phase involves setting the context and scope of the Lab.
Discovery
The Discovery phase is devoted to understanding the Region of Peel’s housing system, empathizing with the needs of seniors, understanding their transition milestones, and determining how to best engage seniors in a co-design process, particularly in light of the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Development
The Development phase is devoted to engaging with Community Design Team members to understand their current experiences and desired outcomes and generate possibilities for new desirable housing and support service models.
Prototype
The Prototype phase involves further exploring the most feasible and viable opportunities, how these opportunities interact with existing systems, and what it might take to implement these ideas.
Roadmap
The Roadmap phase is devoted to creating a plan for implementation and prioritizing the communication and dissemination of the knowledge gained through the Lab process.
Intended Outcomes
Improve
the housing situations, journeys, and outcomes for seniors in Peel.
Promote
community inclusion and proactive responses to affordability issues faced by seniors in Peel.
Provide
Peel seniors with the opportunity to participate in a year-long co-design initiative, leading to new solutions for their community.
Develop
housing options, strategies, and systems that are more socially-inclusive and socially-sustainable.
Develop
a better understanding of the diverse housing needs and experiences among Peel seniors.