Housing Innovation Lab office hours every Thursday from 1 - 4 p.m.

The iLab has three hours set aside each week to meet with local entrepreneurs, nonprofits, agencies, and community members.

The Housing Innovation Lab (iLab) functions as a lightning rod for great housing ideas. This is not because the iLab itself comes up with all the new and fantastic ideas. Instead it attracts ideas, finds the right partners, and executes to bring the best ones to life.

The iLab does this by operating with a “culture of yes,” and by connecting, seemingly, unaffiliated parties. This means the iLab will say yes to meeting any Bostonian with an idea for how to address Boston’s housing challenges. The team works to connect those ideas with organizations most capable of taking them on:

sometimes the idea fits within the iLab’s work
sometimes another City department is more appropriate, and
sometimes it is a totally different organization operating outside of City Hall.

Believing that anyone can have a great idea and understanding that execution occurs quicker when silos are broken down are key factors in the iLab’s process.

To create space for the influx of new ideas, the iLab has three hours set aside each week, on Thursday afternoons, to meet with local entrepreneurs, nonprofits, agencies, and community members. The iLab hears all ideas and offers critical feedback. If the idea is ready, the iLab identifies the best party inside or outside of the City to take the idea and run with it. The Housing Innovation Competition is an example of a initiative that started from an idea brought to the Lab. It was brought to life through a collaborative effort of internal and external partners.

Do you have an idea? We want to hear it!

We are always eager to hear new ideas and we work hard to find ways to foster the great ones. Sign up to chat with us during our office hours held every Thursday afternoon.