If an emergency hits Victoria, Fairfield residents near Leonard Street will have a set meeting place, where they have a secret code to unlock a metal box filled with emergency supplies including tarps, blankets, first aid, a flashlight and more.
A unique cedar structure and bench constructed near the corner of Leonard and Cambridge Street is VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 first ever B次元官网网址楴eighbour HubB次元官网网址� where emergency supplies are stored and local neighbours are encouraged to interact and connect.
On Sunday, organizers cut the ribbon on the hub and showed of its multi-purpose design, which includes a solar-powered phone charging station, bulletin board and full-sized bench.
B次元官网网址淭here is a huge need for communities to come together and prepare now so they can better respond to threats such as earthquakes and extreme weather in the future,B次元官网网址� said Emi Webb, Neighbour LabB次元官网网址檚 creative director. B次元官网网址淏y co-creating these unique structures with residents, we hope to make emergency preparedness more tangible, more playful.B次元官网网址�
Here are the supplies going into the shared emergency supply bunch at Leonard Street in
B次元官网网址� Nina Grossman (@NinaGrossman)
Stacy Barter, learning and community engagement specialist at Building Resilient Neighbourhoods said the project brings together two missions: increasing neighbour-to-neighbour interactions and improving emergency preparedness.
B次元官网网址淭his design has really been customized for this particular neighborhood,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd so it might look different in a different neighborhood, you might choose different features that the neighboursB次元官网网址� really want.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淏ut this basic concept, we think, could be really beneficial to a lot of places. So weB次元官网网址檙e interested in exploring that more B次元官网网址� this is our prototype.B次元官网网址�
| Bob McKechnie helped to plan the new Leonard Street Neighbour Hub, which stores emergency supplies and acts as a community meeting location. (Nina Grossman/B次元官网网址 Staff) |
Created via a partnership between Building Resilient Neighbourhoods, Neighbour Lab and a group of local residents, the hub was made possible by help from city grants and took about eight months to come to fruition.
Bob McKechnie, a Leonard Street resident and member of the local Block Watch program, helped come up with the idea B次元官网网址� although he said at first, it was nothing more than the a box or can that held emergency supplies.
B次元官网网址淭hen we found out about the idea of getting designers involved and making a community hub out of it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he number one thing that keeps you safe is each other. Knowing each other, having some trust built up, knowing each otherB次元官网网址檚 namesB次元官网网址� so that thereB次元官网网址檚 actually some community connection.B次元官网网址�
The emergency supplies stored in the bench arenB次元官网网址檛 enough for the entire neighbourhood, but will act as a supplement to what each person should already have in their home, McKechnie added.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a place to meet with a few essentials, but we hope most homes will be prepared.B次元官网网址�
nina.grossman@blackpress.ca
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