New roots in New West means a new approach

It can be a challenge moving to a new city, but Jeremy Perry wants to change that. 

Perry, who has been involved in the New Westminster community for years, is the founder of New Roots, a new welcoming service for people moving to the city. 

“When I first moved to New Westminster, I ran another business,” he explains. “I felt so welcomed by the business community where there were a lot of networking events happening.”

New Roots is meant to connect people who are new to New Westminster to their neighbours – and, by extension to local businesses. For instance, the group will host social nights at local pubs, or go on group walks in different neighbourhoods. The group’s ultimate goal is to tackle loneliness and isolation – right at the root. 

Perry says he’s also taking a bit of a different approach: New Roots is a community contribution company, a business model that he says bridges the gap between for-profit and not-for-profit. In this case, Perry says the company is legally mandated to put the needs of the community ahead of making money. In fact, it must allocate at least 60% of its profit toward a social purpose. In Canada, this business model also exists in Nova Scotia.

“There are definitely some challenges involved with that. We don’t have access to the grant funding that we would in the not-for-profit world.”

Enter local New Westminster businesses, which would serve two purposes: their involvement would allow for some financial or sponsorship-style support, and those new to New West would get to know an establishment in their city. Perry says New Roots is also using Patreon to help with funding. 

“I think in every community, when somebody moves to a new community, there’s that isolation and loneliness that just comes with not having built a network yet,” he explains. Perry says he’s a go-getter, and immediately joined different organizations like New West Pride, the Rotary Club, and other city committees.

“A lot of people find themselves not knowing where to turn or how to do that. I find New West to be a really warm, welcoming community, but if you’re connected and find that.”

Perry says the struggle to meet new people has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s why he’s taking the approach of New Roots being in-person first. Should things need to pivot, he says he’s open to Zoom meetings or other virtual events. New Roots also has pages on Facebook and Instagram. 

“I think it’s the right time; there’s a couple years’ worth of new residents who haven’t had a chance to build community yet.”

The struggle of social isolation

Dr. Frances Chen is an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. Despite the advances in technology and people becoming more connected through social media, she says we still have the capacity to feel lonely and/or isolated. 

“Connections on social media can be really helpful, but that said, I would say that [based on] the vast body of research I’m familiar with, it’s not a replacement for in-person interactions,” she explains, noting that virtual interactions are great in a pinch, but there needs to be face-to-face communication. 

“I totally get Jeremy’s sense, and I would say it’s backed up by research that suggests that the type of connections people make, and the sort of well-being benefits and the health benefits they receive connecting online is not really the same as what you can get in-person.”

Chen says looking at her own research, there are certain stigmas that still exist around loneliness and isolation. 

“Often people have a kind of impression that maybe it’s only older adults who struggle with being socially isolated or feeling lonely, but that’s not true. If you look at the breakdowns across age groups, younger adults show as high or even higher.”

Chen says people tend to forget the emotional toll moving to a new place can take on someone, even once someone has settled into their new home.

“We actually tracked newcomers to Vancouver and looked at how well they recovered in this natural hit that happens to you; you’ve moved away from your prior social connections and now you’re trying to rebuild in this new place.” Chen says that participants who were more able to rebuild their connections in the weeks following showed positive health effects, some of which were seen when measuring their blood pressure. 

For Perry, he’s hoping the community can help him build this community. While the participating New West businesses have been helpful as New Roots events start to fall into place, he’s also hoping word-of-mouth at the neighbourhood level will work its own magic.  

“If [someone from New West] is talking to somebody who says they are new to town, please mention that New Roots is happening so that they can sign up for some events, and come out and meet some new people. It’s also a way for those who have already been in the community to get involved as well.”

Are you struggling with loneliness and isolation?

Here are some tips from Dr. Chen when it comes to communicating in the community:

• Realize that you’re not the only one struggling, and normalize the experience. “Loneliness is still a condition that’s associated with stigma. People think, ‘oh, maybe there’s something wrong with me,’ ” says Dr. Chen. “Just recognizing that your experience of loneliness is more common than you realize, because people don’t talk about it openly…having these kinds of conversations around it, helps.:

• Try to shift your mindset. “If you think that everybody already has friends, has no interest in talking to you, you feel more inhibited and less comfortable approaching other people, right?” Chen says it’s important to root for yourself when striking up a conversation with someone.

• Have a mix of strong-tie and weak-tie relationships. “The strong ties are your close family and friends, but the weak ties could be anyone from the cashier at your favourite coffee shop in the neighbourhood to the neighbour you see in the mailroom.” Chen says even a simple hello or other pleasantries can be a confidence booster.

• Try an act of kindness. This could be as small as opening the door for someone, helping someone carry their groceries, or complimenting someone’s sweater. “They may not seem like much on the surface, but I think they add up on the level of communities.”