Daryl Builds Community Connections
Daryl has lived with Calgary Housing for 2 years now. He’s an outgoing, friendly man who is passionate about creating connections in his community. His neighbours warmly speak about how Daryl keeps them engaged and connected. He’s recently been hired as the Community Navigator for the City of Calgary, and is excited to spend a few hours a week helping build community.
“I was surprised I got the award!” he says. For Daryl building community is a part of making a place home.
He moved to Calgary from Ontario in search of employment. He had a friend from an old job out in Banff, who said he could him find work as a cleaner at the university. Then COVID happened, and the potential job disappeared. Daryl worked at Ikea for about 6 months, but is now on AISH. He says he enjoys the fresh start Calgary has been. He’s also a passionate Stampeders fan, and saw 10 out of 11 games last season. When asked if he played football growing up, he says he wasn’t able to, it was just him and his mum and there wasn’t much money, but he enjoys watching the games.
Daryl is currently working on applying for a grant from The City of Calgary to build a community garden in the common area. He hopes the garden will brighten up the outdoor common space and encourage his neighbours to spend more time in community and outside. He also hopes to be able to add flowers to the front of the building. As the building is located downtown, it can often feel like there isn’t much greenspace.
There’s always a new project happening at Daryl’s building that he is helping with. He mentions a local church that last minute reached out about bringing in lunch. He quickly threw together some posters that he got up in the hallways, and started texting his neighbours. “I was really impressed by the turn out. It was a good turn out!” he says.
The building hosts a regular bingo night. Whenever it happens Daryl likes to sit in the lobby and let his neighbours know it’s happening. He shares that this is how he first started connecting with his neigbours and getting to know them.
There are also regular coffee chats at the building. Daryl will go and knock on neighbours doors to invite them. Sometimes they aren’t interested in coming, but Daryl will encourage them to come out for a cookie or something small. He shares he can usually get people to come down briefly for that. As many of his neighbours are elderly he worries about their isolation, and does what he can to get them out and in community.
Daryl is looking forward to starting his new job as Community Navigator, and is looking forward to connecting with the City of Calgary social worker. He’s got a great relationship with the Housing Support Specialist and all the Calgary Housing staff for the building. He shares that him and the social worker are trying to bring therapy dogs into the building so that residents can meet with them.
The Nominate a Neighbour award celebrates community building in CHC properties, as well as the ways our neighbours can encourage and inspire us. There will be a new winner announced each month, so please send your nominations to chccommunications@calgary.ca before the end of the month to be considered. You must be a CHC resident to nominate a neighbour. Learn more and access the nomination form here.
