From the Ground Up: Co-Creating Housing Solutions Through Community-Driven Development

This session explores what becomes possible when those closest to a problem are involved in designing the solution. Through a case study from the Circles NWA organization, we’ll share how we developed and applied the Innovative Poverty Solutions model—a community-driven development approach that begins by bringing people together across income lines to listen, learn from one another, and co-create practical, innovative responses to real-world challenges. We’ll explore why dialogue across income levels matters, what is lost when development is top-down, and what becomes possible when ideas are built from the ground up. We’ll also share how this model led to a new approach to addressing car transportation needs in NWA and how we are now applying the same model to housing.