BEASLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD
When Environment Hamilton’s key staff were asked to animate the Hamilton pilot, Lynda Lukasik and Beatrice Ekoko knew that they wanted to try their ideas in the neighbourhood where they worked. In 2008, Beasley was one of Canada's lowest income neighbourhoods. But it also has great NGO’s, community organizations, engaged faith groups and excellent City services. Its residents are proud of their neighbourhood and have created a host of great community resources, including a Tool Lending Library and a Good Food Box program. Beasley locals, both its residents and those who work there, understand the value of networks. A neighbourhood climate resilience hub seems a very good fit. THE LIGHTHOUSE PILOT How is Hamilton's Beasley Neighbourhood preparing to meet the challenges that extreme weather brings? How will this community take care of its most vulnerable people during heat waves, deep freezes, flooding and violent wind storms? Together with residents, faith communities and other community stakeholders, we are in the process of exploring the shape and form of our collective response to climate breakdown. Join us! Our network of concerned individuals and groups is growing! BEASLEY PILOT PARTNER: Environment Hamilton Environment Hamilton was incorporated as a non-for-profit organization in 2001 and has worked since then to inspire people to protect and enhance our environment through leadership, education and advocacy.
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Beatrice Ekoko - Hamilton Resilience Animator
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Dr. Lynda Lukasik ED - Environment Hamilton
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Lighthouse Key Partners and Collaborators
This list will grow over the next year. Stay tuned! |
UPDATES as of June 2018
We have a resilience hub! St. John’s Lutheran Church, 104 Hughson Street North, Beasley.
Public Workshops
Since February 2018, we have hosted three asset-mapping workshops, two at
St. John’s, with representatives from various faith groups, services, and
residents of the neighbourhood. And a third at the Beasley Community Centre
with members of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association.
Participants mapped out neighbourhood assets within a twelve minute walk
from St. John’s. Mapping also identified external & local stakeholders, city
agencies, nonprofits, academic institutions, foundations, and the private
sector.
In early May, a general meeting attracted representatives from faith
communities across the city who are interested in creating community
resilience at their own places of worship in Strathcona, Crown Point, Dundas and Kirkendall.
Beasley Lighthouse Steering Committee
Our Steering Committee met for the first time on June 4th. Interest from outside of the Beasley neighbourhood points to the likelihood of two or three parallel projects for the committee to consider. They'll need to answer some key questions:
Public Workshops
Since February 2018, we have hosted three asset-mapping workshops, two at
St. John’s, with representatives from various faith groups, services, and
residents of the neighbourhood. And a third at the Beasley Community Centre
with members of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association.
Participants mapped out neighbourhood assets within a twelve minute walk
from St. John’s. Mapping also identified external & local stakeholders, city
agencies, nonprofits, academic institutions, foundations, and the private
sector.
In early May, a general meeting attracted representatives from faith
communities across the city who are interested in creating community
resilience at their own places of worship in Strathcona, Crown Point, Dundas and Kirkendall.
Beasley Lighthouse Steering Committee
Our Steering Committee met for the first time on June 4th. Interest from outside of the Beasley neighbourhood points to the likelihood of two or three parallel projects for the committee to consider. They'll need to answer some key questions:
- What form would a network of faith based organizations working on community resilience take?'
- How will the Beasley Neighbourhood Association and the Hub work together to build local resillience?
- What forms of outreach/actions would inform the greatest number of Beasley residents on extreme weather emergency preparedness?
- Environment Hamilton Intern, Yassir Elyass, is developing a mobile app that will help people to find local services and resources during an emergency.
- Hamilton Public Health is creating a story map of the Beasley neighbourhood modeled on CREW's Neighbourhood Resiliency Story Maps.
- We will be learning from and promoting Matt and Dan Thompson's study of heat levels in residential buildings without air conditioning. Hamilton's weather projections point to increasingly extreme heatwaves over the coming years.
SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES
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By the end of this year-long pilot, we will have a clearer vision of what community resiliency looks like to residents of the Beasley neighbourhood. We will have established a physical hub and an ever expanding network of climate-ready individuals and residents.
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Contact Beatrice at [email protected]
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Beasley is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Hamilton. It is Hamilton’s “arrival city” with newcomer immigrants making up 14% of the area's residents, compared to just 3% for the city as a whole. As many as 27%, of Beasley’s residents have activity limitations, compared to 16% in the rest of the city.