The Idea

It started as an idea to meet a need. Carlton Mason, Director of CASA of the 7th Judicial District, saw a real need for youth in his program. Many young people who had been in the Foster Care system were aging out of that system and were at real risk of being unhoused. In 2020 one of CASA’s youth was temporarily housed in a motel. Region 10 also had a senior citizen housed at the same motel. The young person and the elder struck up a friendship and “their connection was amazing”. Youth and Seniors connecting was an idea worth exploring. The Village on San Juan Intergenerational supportive housing project was born.

Carlton rolled up his sleeves and it didn’t take long for funding to come in, so the planning began in earnest. Building the houses was one thing, but being truly supportive meant other partners would need to bring their services to the residents. This would be a new way of working to meet the community’s needs.
Some initial partners who could offer services were Region 10 Area Agency on Aging, Hilltop Family Resource Center and the Montrose Housing Authority. A dream was becoming a reality and yet the group of partners had not come together to solidify their roles and to share their vision.

The Partners

It was November 2023 when The Civic Canopy was asked to provide the Results Based Accountability training to the Montrose Non-Profit Executive Director group. The training hit a great chord and several of the participants from housing groups asked us to convene a Launch Meeting for The Village on San Juan. The housing construction was moving forward all along. In theory the partners found themselves in agreement, but with occupation on the horizon, there was a real need for strong collaboration to make this dream a reality.

The Civic Canopy first spent time conducting discovery interviews with key partners. In doing so, we found it to be clear that all the organizations were excited by this innovative housing solution and had very different needs and hopes for the project. We also came to grasp the conditions for governmental agencies in charge of the vouchers for housing, which have some very specific guidelines. Other groups interested in case management also expressed concerns about the approach to providing services for both youth and seniors. Although there was agreement, we also noticed divergence as different questions arose for each partner.

The Launch

The Civic Canopy designed a three-hour session to understand where all partners stood, create the conditions for collaboration, and dream about what could be. The group was aligned on the clear results of building a 33-unit intergenerational supportive housing project but had not yet sat down together to clarify expectations, roles, and responsibilities. The session started with dreaming together about an ideal community and the components it would have. Small groups drew communities with parks and public spaces, gardens and houses, green spaces and people playing together. The vision came to life and was clear with the “future news headlines” the group created. “World Peace Achieved Thanks to The Village on San Juan”, “Generations Come Together to Create Community and Healing”, and “Rural Thriving Community is Leading the Way in Housing Systems Change.”

A Journey Map helped the group put together the project’s history from inception in 2016 to the current construction. The group identified their strengths from the initial successes of some CASA supportive units to Joe Walker, who had been recently hired at Region 10 as the RSVP Programs Coordinator. They saw both the winding road behind and where they had the potential to arrive. Excitement and just a little dread circulated in the room.

The Puzzle

Many pieces needed to be put together to ensure that this innovative intergenerational community would work. This included acknowledging potential challenges that could emerge such as conflict, disagreement, staff changes, deciding on property management, finding the right programming, safety, etc. The group quickly realized most of the expertise and was already present in the room, including case managers for both seniors and youth. Even so, there would need to be some rules and expectations around problem resolution and tenant responsibilities, and funding needed to be squarely in place. All in all, the group was able to come together, create a path forward, and put the pieces together to create a vibrant successful community: The Village on San Juan.

The RACI

Dreams become reality when there are clear actions and actors for each task along the way. The RACI helped outline who would do what when (and where there were gaps). RACI is a tool that helps identify Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed people/organizations for each task along the way. This is an ongoing document to keep each other accountable moving forward. Rapidly the group agreed on the need to meet 2 times per month to accomplish all the planning that would need to be in place before the first resident in September 2024.

The Container

This group of partners includes CASA of the 7th Judicial District, Hilltop Family Resources, Region 10 Area Agency on Aging, and Montrose Housing Authority form the core group that will create the programs and services necessary for success. Moving forward, youth and seniors will be added to the decision-making process to ensure their voice is part of the development. A collective vision with clear roles and responsibilities and action items will inform this partnership to take housing development beyond just structures to creating an intergenerational community that spanned from an idea, and the collaborative effort, to meet a need.