What we want in a Resilience Hub

Word cloud image created by the good people at Salazar Architect, LLC

This summer, Leaven Community members and neighbors gathered in a series of four workshops (including one in Spanish) and through a community survey to imagine together about what a Community Resilience Hub at Leaven could look like.

Across these engagements, three values emerged as the heart of our longings: Community Belonging, Universal Design, and Design Justice. We want spaces that are welcoming, adaptable, and rooted in care for one another.

When it came to practical needs, some themes rose again and again:

• a community kitchen where meals and stories can be shared,

• a garden that nourishes both body and spirit, and

• networks of mutual aid and childcare that help us carry one another through hard times.

Neighbors also highlighted the importance of indoor gathering areas, outdoor spaces, and basic needs support like showers, storage, and emergency shelter—resources that will make Leaven a place of safety and connection in times of both celebration and crisis. 

This feedback paints a clear picture: people want Leaven to be a hub where resilience is built through care, creativity, and community.

The team at Salazar Architect compiled what we heard at these gatherings into some simple takeaways, below. They are currently working on draft designs of the building and grounds that will be shared with the community in mid-October.Read all the way to the bottom to learn what’s coming up next in the process!

These images of gathering spaces were collaboratively selected by groups at the Leaven Resilience Hub design workshops in summer 2025. The number underneath each photo represents the number of groups (out of 13) that selected that space.

Qualitative data organized by the team at Salazar Architect

What’s next?

Our collaborators at Salazar Architect are putting together draft designs that will be shared with the community in mid-October.

Attend an upcoming workshop to provide feedback on those draft plans, which will further refine the blueprint and design to be finalized in December. 

• Sunday, October 19, 1:00-2:30 pm

• Wednesday, November 5, 7:00-8:30 pm

• Thursday, November 9, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm (for Common House partners)

• Spanish Language workshop - Date and Time TBD, stay tuned!

Resilience as New Life: Leaven Updates, Fall 2025

It’s been a hard week, in a rough season, amidst uncertain times. As ever, we need resilience. We need it collectively, and we need it deep within each of ourselves.

In the midst of it all, Leaven Community is building community resilience and personal capacity for growth and change all across our community. Even in the midst of loss and decay, new life is always emerging in the soil beneath our feet.

Want some evidence of that new life? Last Saturday at the Leaven Quarterly Gathering, members from across Leaven Community shared updates about many different happenings taking place within and beyond the walls of this place:

• The Leaven Land & Housing program is engaging a year of Sacred Pause to deepen and strengthen our capacity and infrastructure, while supporting six housing sites to move through the development phase with a 1.5-year goal for completion.

• We’re also making progress on our local Community Resilience Hub organizing: Salazar Architect will soon share community-inspired renderings, rooted in the values and priorities that Leaven members and neighbors said was important to them. Stay tuned for more detailed information about what we learned over the Summer, and opportunities to give feedback on the draft designs in the Fall.

• Meanwhile, the Leaven Common House partners are building deeper connections through shared space, values, and vibrant events—from the Portland Fruit Tree Project’s cider press event (Oct 25) to the Vegan Scouts’ Harmless Halloween (Nov 1), plus new Common House member Equitable Giving Circle’s weekly free markets for BIPOC Portlanders, and more. The building is hopping!

• Read the Quarterly Gathering notes here and review Director-Organizer Alison Killeen’s slide deck here

In the midst of all this activity, what shines through most clearly is that we are growing into a community where many hands, hearts, and imaginations are carrying the work together. From meals to meetings, from planting seeds to shaping buildings, every step is a reminder that resilience is something we practice side by side.

I’m so grateful for each of you—for showing up, for sharing your gifts, and for tending to one another along the way. As the seasons turn, may we keep finding strength in our shared life, and joy in the new growth that keeps springing up among us.

Want to be part of the action? There are many ways to connect, contribute, and celebrate with the community this Fall — come be a part of it!

• Wednesday, Sept 24 – Community Meal (5:30pm) and Resilience Workshop (7pm): What does Community Resilience Mean to You?"

• Wednesdays in October, 5:30 pm - Intercambio Language Exchange

• Oct 5, 12-5pm – Community Work Party (garden clearing & planting, volunteers needed!)

• Oct 25 – Portland Fruit Tree Project Cider Press Event

• Oct 29 - Community Meal (5:30pm) and Resilience Workshop (7pm)

• Nov 1 – Vegan Scouts’ Harmless Halloween

• Every Thursday, 11am-2pm – Equitable Giving Circle’s Free Market for BIPOC residents

Community Resilience Organizing Update!

The Resilience Hub Design Workshop on May 21 was a success, with over 30 people in the room and lots of energy and enthusiasm! If you weren't able to make it, mark your calendar: July 27, 1-3pm will be the next design workshop.

• The Leaven Organizing Core Team met yesterday to organize one to ones and outreach opportunities!

Are you interested in joining the Core Team and helping with the listening season? If YES, please email coreteam@leaven.org to be added to the group and get involved!