Green Violin Community Development Company Website Update

The goal of this project is to update the Green Violin Community Development Company website, which was built in the Square One environment. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: - Analyzing the existing website and its features. - Developing a plan to update the website to better reflect the company's mission of Inclusivity, Earth Friendly Design, and Social Connectedness. - Updating the website design, content, and features to reflect the company's mission. - Testing the updated website and making improvements based on feedback.

Affordable Housing Infographics - Level UP

I'm a non-profit affordable housing developer, Green Violin, and I am working on a series of innovative housing types with unique ownership models. In order to simplify the communication to interested parties, I am looking for an infographic to be created for each housing concept so that the ideas can be conveyed quickly to a wide audience. This project will entail creating ten infographics that explain the various strategies that my non-profit, Green Violin, is using to increase the inventory of housing options in Edmonton.

Grant Writing Assistant - Level UP

I am in need of organizing the grants that our teams have found and of setting up a database of various grants and their deadlines. I also need the grant application forms to be downloaded and formatted so my team can easily supply the answers for each of the grant questions. Do you have the research skills, the organizational mentality, and the initiative to find grants, assemble the information required for each grant, and present a final directory of grants that is easy to search and easy to update?

3d Printed Concrete House Research - Level UP

The non-profit affordable housing developer, Green Violin, is proposing a 3d printed concrete house demonstration project to be constructed this summer 2022 in Edmonton. In preparation of the test print a research paper is needing to be written on an environmental scan of the emerging printing machine types (designs) and the housing forms (architecture) that are being printed around the world today. This research paper will be used as the basis for deciding on a machine type for our Edmonton print job. Strong research and writing skills are necessary for this task.

Research on the Social Barriers to Accessing Housing

Create a briefing paper/summary report to provide information quickly and effectively about a social issue focused on barriers to accessing housing. By “barriers to accessing housing” or “individuals in need of housing,” the Green Violin Community Development Company is focused on the ability of individuals to find appropriate housing in a timely manner. The words are “appropriate” and “timely” are significant. When talking about “appropriate”, we emphasize the following: i. Housing that matches the income that individual has to put towards housing. At the far end of the spectrum is the individual with no money to use towards housing and therefore is homeless (or is dependent on others for housing as in the case of couch surfing, squatting, or living with one’s friends and family). There are also those who are “precariously” housed, which sometimes translates to having to make the decision of whether to pay rent or buy groceries. The Green Violin narrative uses the phrase “housing affordability” to separate it from the City’s definition of “Affordable Housing” (which is housing that is subsidized in any manner by any level of government) which they also call “non-market housing”. ii. ii. Housing that matches the physical needs of the individual. In the case of wheelchair users, the need is for barrier free or accessible housing. There might be housing units that fit all the other criteria, but if accessibility isn’t provided, then that housing is not appropriate. iii. iii. Housing that matches the social needs of the individual. This is the really interesting part of Green Violin projects, “...how do we make socially inclusive housing?” At the near end of the affordability spectrum, we often hear of the suburbs as being rich, safe, and socially empty. People don’t know their neighbours, there are no social gathering areas to walk to, and isolation is a major concern. The CP would argue that those people experiencing isolation are “in need of housing” that allows for more social connectivity. More specifically, the report is to focus on one of the following two groups experiencing barriers to accessing housing: (a) urban Indigenous populations in need of housing and (b) LGBTQ seniors in need of inclusive housing. Related to the appropriate housing criteria listed above, for the CP, when talking about the housing needs of Urban Indigenous populations or the LBGTQ seniors, it is the third “social needs” that must be met through housing. Housing that is inclusive, cooperative, social, and nurturing. Students will find, gather, and report on information from a variety of sources (academic sources and grey literature) about key research findings and considerations. The report will be used to raise awareness during public engagement sessions and to support funding applications. Although not limited to the following, the report is to include: a) provide key background and contextual information about the social issue. b) provide a needs assessment – in other words, describe the gaps between current conditions and desired conditions for the selected group (i.e., either urban Indigenous populations in need of housing or LGBTQ seniors in need of inclusive housing). c) identity and describe relevant policies and useful initiatives, programs, and/or resources in place to address this social issue in Edmonton and Alberta.

Affordable Housing Apartment Development Pro Forma - Level UP

Available positions: 1 student. The non-profit affordable housing developer, Green Violin, is proposing a Mass Timber, Modular, Energy Efficient 26-unit apartment building in Edmonton and needs a pro forma and Life Cycle Costing template to be created. The pro forma will be used to test various combinations of apartment rental rates and energy efficient systems that may cost more in the upfront capital cost, but can be proven to cost less over the long term, especially if the energy utility costs can be shown to be less over the life of the building. This template will then be used in the design of the building to make up front decisions on the energy systems and to be part of the funding package to justify further project financing. This project will be followed by three separate follow up projects that will utilize this template proforma for each of three different cost estimates coming from various construction industry companies for Green Violin's Parkdale Place Project.

Symposium Moderation and Reporting - Level UP

Available positions: 4 students. Student 1: Prepare for/and conduct a panel discussion symposium on Tenant selection and Neighbourhood Sovereignty using the collected information from previous projects. Student 2: Write the report on the findings and the discussion results from the Symposium. Student 3: Conduct a legal review of the implications of findings form the Symposium review Student 4: Create a summary document of Lessons Learned.

Summary/Symposium Preparation - Level UP

Available positions: 4 students. Student 1: Produce Infographics for easy reference for legislative review (from previous projects 1,2,3,4) Student 2: Produce Infographics for easy reference for housing model analysis (from previous projects 13, 14, 15, 17) Student 3: Write a report summarizing all legal research conducted which includes appendices with all drafted documents. Student 4: Write a report describing proposed models and processes.

Green Violin Model Design/Symposium Design - Level UP

Available positions: 4 students. Student 1: Review analysis in previous tasks (projects 13, 14, 15, and 16) and decide on the goals of Green Violin's Tiny Home Community projects and create a SWOT analysis and Risk Matrix of our options that meet Green Violin's overarching objective. Student 2: Create a working model for Green Violin's Apartment Model 2650's Intake Process and Code of Conduct. Produce the Business Case for presenting that tenant strategy for Green Violin Model 2650's Student 3: Produce draft agreement documents for Green Violin model. Student 4: Design communications strategy for symposium. Create project overview and agenda.

Legislation /Literature Review (Phase 2) - Level UP

Available positions: 4 students. Student 1: Investigate the Co-op living model including current legislation and a sample of typical bylaws and rights of co-op members. We will coordinate with expert opinion from Communitas, Sundance Coop, and the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association (ACCA). Student 2: Investigate Co-Housing models and legal precedents. Student 3: Review of the bareland condo subdivision regulations and lot registration procedures (in consultation with condo lawyers). Student 4: Summarize the Co-op, co-housing, and bareland condo information in a comparative chart.