HelpSeeker Blog

Understanding a community is not just about examining data and statistics. While these elements provide critical insights, they often lack the human touch, the personal experiences, and the shared emotions that make up the real fabric of a community. That’s where the innovative approach of persona mapping comes in, a technique we showcase in our recent case study.

Tech-Driven Gentrification: The surge of tech firms in Canadian urban centers isn’t just about jobs and innovation. It’s about transformation—of neighborhoods, lifestyles, and notably, property values. As tech professionals with hefty salaries move in, the essence of historically diverse neighborhoods shifts. Local cafes give way to co-working spaces; playgrounds turn into dog parks for the young tech workforce. It’s a modern renaissance, but one where the original residents often find themselves priced out.

Last week, on June 25th, the United Nations released its grim 2023 World Drug Report. It painted a worrying picture of the global illicit drug markets, underscored by the agility of trafficking networks and a record supply of illicit drugs. The fallout? A significant increase in individuals who inject drugs and suffer from drug use disorders worldwide.

In the era of data-driven decision-making, open data from entities like Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRAs) registered charities emerges as a valuable asset for social planning. Such data sets provide unparalleled insights into community needs, trends, and impacts. Advanced analytics platforms, such as Karto, with its new integration, further simplify this process, transforming data into accessible and actionable insights.

In an alarming emerging trend, homelessness in smaller Canadian communities has been growing at an unprecedented pace. We observed in one particular Alberta small community that the rate of newly homeless individuals skyrocketed by 800% within a mere 12-month span. This is a trend in cities with smaller populations too like Penticton, BC which registered a point-in-time homelessness rate 50% higher than that of Calgary. Ironically, Calgary reported a decrease in homelessness.

In today’s rapidly evolving society, making informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date data has never been more crucial, particularly when it comes to addressing pressing social issues. Social Needs Assessments, integral tools for community planning, are becoming increasingly reliant on data for crafting effective strategies. This blog post delves into two key components of these assessments: social data trends and supply mapping.