Community Dialogue
Saskatoon
Housing Lab
Housing precarity is shaped by interconnected systems, and lasting progress depends on service providers having the space to learn together, test solutions, and build shared capacity for action.
A solutions lab that helped service providers prototype new pathways into stable housing.
Intelligent Futures designed and delivered the Saskatoon Housing Lab to convene key interest holders across housing and homelessness, creating structured dialogue that could move beyond problem description into real-world prototyping. The lab emphasized practical experimentation, resulting in prototypes such as a Housing Hub, case management software concepts, and a Stepping Stones approach.
Work
Designed and facilitated a multi-phase lab process grounded in service-provider reality, recognizing that the sector is stretched and that participation needs to be supported with compassion and care.
Created the conditions for high-quality cross-sector dialogue, including a tiered membership approach that respected varying capacity levels among participating organizations.
Convened hands-on workshops with service providers to identify barriers, generate opportunities, and prototype solutions that could be tested and iterated.
Produced a process summary and open-source guide, capturing what worked, what was learned, and how similar lab approaches can be adapted elsewhere.
Profile
Client: Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership
Practice Area: Community Dialogue
Impact Domain: Urbanism, Housing, Social Development
Partner: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the City of Saskatoon