a new approach

Halal Housing Lab

Introduction

Utilizing untapped philanthropic capital to affordably house marginalized ethno-cultural (BIPOC) communities at scale

The Halal Housing Lab is creating affordable housing solutions that reflect the values, needs, and lived experiences of Muslim and racialized communities.

The project

Muslims are presently the second largest & fastest group in affordable housing (according to Cividia’s 2018 Wellbeing Report)

Their needs have not been addressed and the risk of this is endemic generational poverty. We want to build affordable housing that focuses on racialized / minorities / newcomers / women fleeing violence. These groups need housing for larger and extended families with integrated culturally appropriate supports for mental health, and pathways into market housing that align with their values.

Context

Rethinking what affordable housing can be

The Islamic Family Social Services Association (IFSSA), in partnership with Intelligent Futures, Another Way, SAS Architecture, and Ask for a Better World, are collaborating to deliver the Halal Housing Solutions Lab – funded by CMHC. This lab intends to broaden the definition of affordable housing, reimagining what is within the realm of possibility while also developing a replicable housing solution that can meet the needs of Canadians from coast, to coast, to coast soon.

Housing is a basic human right, but affordable housing solutions often fail to meet the needs of families who fall outside the bounds of the ‘traditional family’ structure. Currently, limited viable options can accommodate larger, extended families who want to live under the same roof. Yet, exploring affordable housing solutions that can meet these needs makes sense when considering the broader implications that such a solution could have for marginalized groups and newcomers. The Halal Housing Solution Lab will explore the following challenge question:

How do we leverage civil society to design, build & sustain appropriate affordable housing for racialized/multi-barriered communities?

The complex challenge

Through a collaborative, innovative process, this Solutions Lab will take a holistic approach to understand the factors that influence the challenge question at hand.

An interdisciplinary group of individuals will come together to collaboratively explore this complex system, co-create and test solutions. The intended result is a roadmap that reflects the learning of the Lab and provides other Canadian communities with ideas, models and solutions that can be applied to help improve housing across the country.

Project partners

A collaborative effort rooted in equity and innovation

IslamicFamily

IslamicFamily supports the mother who is fleeing abuse without making her compromise her identity or safety. We support the man seeking counselling that respects his values. We support youth looking for a creative platform that appreciates and amplifies their voice. We support families beginning new lives amidst hardship. We are IslamicFamily & we are created to serve.

For more than 30 years, we have been driven to disrupt systemic inequity, to reflect a rich tradition with beauty, to innovate & to serve with excellence. IslamicFamily serves 5,000 clients every month, runs Edmonton’s second largest food bank, provides aid in financial crises, supports victims of gender-based violence, settles refugees, and delivers a range of preventative programming for youth. IslamicFamily is rooted on Treaty 6 and proudly serves all of Alberta.

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Intelligent Futures

At Intelligent Futures, we help organizations sharpen their focus to navigate complex challenges and effect tangible change. Drawing on urban planning roots and strategic, design and systems thinking, we guide tenacious clients across all sectors through planning, development and revitalization for solutions that impact community, culture, society and the environment. The crux – change is a shapeshifter. A brighter future that’s more equitable, sustainable and prosperous is the unifying yield. Lofty? Maybe. Impossible? Hardly.

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Another Way

Another Way is a unique consulting firm based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that specializes in Community Economic Development (CED). Anna Bubel is the principal consultant. Her vision of community empowerment, cooperation, and equity translates into a practice that focuses on building capacity; on relentlessly pursuing “Another Way”.

Another Way is solely owned and operated by Anna Bubel. She assembles unique, specialized teams to meet client’s needs. This approach provides clients a cost-effective way to receive multi-disciplinary, professional services from lawyers, accountants, architects, statisticians, computer programmers, researchers, writers and graphic designers.

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SAS Architecture

SAS Architecture Ltd. is a scalable firm, capable of managing the delivery of large and small projects with unique sustainable design services that generate solutions suitable to the needs of the client. The firm has four staff located in Edmonton and two virtual staff who work off-site. We are a well-established firm in Edmonton adept in our virtual design office environment. We are also innovators. Innovative projects are designed to be greener infrastructure environments that achieve higher standards of well-being using integrated design and construction processes to execute the work.

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Ask for a Better World

ASK* for a Better World provides trust-based project facilitation, consulting and leadership to move architecture and urban design to higher aspirations. ASK* provides a multitude of consulting services including high performance building consulting, carbon neutral, net zero or net positive energy, and regenerative buildings, including building retrofits.

ASK* aims to create a better world through Lean and collaborative culture that delivers exactly what their clients need through design thinking, pull-planning and asking the right questions. With over 22 years of experience, Ask for a Better World has created a collaborative studio that consults on regenerative architecture, with a goal to show the benefit of reducing carbon in design, construction and operations.

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View solutions

Imagine Mira*

Imagine Mira*, a mother living in an abusive situation who cares for both her kids & her parents. She wants to leave domestic violence, but she has nowhere else to go, and shelters won't accept her with her parents. The choice she’s given is to leave her parents, abandon her kids, or stay in an abusive situation. This is not a choice.
Housing underpins most issues impacting the equity, affordability, and sustainability of Canadian communities. How do we support people fleeing violence overseas and trying to make Canada home? How do we help women trying to leave abuse with kids and parents in tow? How do we support the young family trying to make ends meet while dealing with disabilities?

Lab resources

Halal Housing Open Source Guide

A comprehensive toolkit for Canadian faith-based social service agencies to begin their journey into affordable housing, creating positive impact and change in the Islamic community by building culturally appropriate housing for larger and extended Muslim families in need.
Read the Guide here

The Halal Housing Lab Podcast

The Halal Housing Lab Podcast

Produced as a part of the 360 Degree City podcast, the Halal Housing Lab podcast series explores the current challenges that make affordable Halal Housing unattainable in Canada while also looking to other jurisdictions for inspiration and guidance as we try to build a housing solution that fits the unique needs of Muslims in Canada today. How can out-of-the-box thinking be leveraged to find feasible and innovative affordable housing solutions that meet the needs of Canadians who don’t fit within traditional parameters?

Episode

1

The Wicked Problem

How do we leverage civil society to design, build & sustain appropriate affordable housing for racialized and multi-barriered communities?

Episode

2

Built Form

Explores the foundational elements of affordable housing with voices from IslamicFamily, SAS Architecture, and Ask for a Better World.

Episode

3

Community Resilience

What would housing look like if community, hospitality, and beauty were at the forefront?

Episode

4

Halal Financing

Examines how conventional financing excludes Muslims—and how Halal models offer equity, transparency, and inclusion.

Episode

5

Community Experience

Highlights voices of Muslims with lived experience in affordable housing and how it shapes design and policy.

Get involved

Make a Difference

IslamicFamily is looking for donations, investment/loans, expertise, stories & prayers to build affordable housing for the community in Edmonton. If you're interested in opportunities to donate, share a story, or get involved, reach out:
housing@islamicfamily.ca

Disclaimer

“The Halal Housing Lab: Utilizing untapped restricted philanthropic capital to affordably house marginalized ethno-cultural (BIPOC) communities at scale received funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under the NHS Solutions Labs. However, the views expressed are the personal views of the author and CMHC accepts no responsibility for them.”

« Halal Housing Lab: Utilizing untapped restricted philanthropic capital to affordably house marginalized ethno-cultural (BIPOC) communities at scale a reçu du financement de la Société canadienne d’hypothèques et de logement (SCHL) en vertu du Solutions de laboratoire de la SNL. Cependant, les opinions exprimées sont les opinions personnelles de l'auteur et la SCHL n’accepte aucune responsabilité à l’égard de telles opinions. »

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