Inclusive communities welcome everyone. An inclusive community does not exclude certain people or groups of people from becoming members. The community includes everyone in its activities and decision-making.

We live in a diverse country and this is reflected in our co-operative and non-profit housing communities. Different groups express their own unique values and attitudes in everyday activities. Many of these differences emerge in the housing communities where people live and participate.

The majority of Boards, residents, and managers of housing communities support the ideals of community inclusiveness, tolerance, and acceptance of diversity.

However, significant problems can arise related to diversity issues. These problems result not only from the interaction of different cultural groups, but also from other dimensions that create personal identity. Many problems have to do with questions of class and socio-economic status; intergenerational differences; education; parenting standards; diverse aesthetic and moral standards and value conflicts; physical and psychological abilities and challenges; various approaches to environmental awareness, safety, cleanliness, and conceptions of leisure; use of space; and different definitions of interpersonal boundaries.

Board members, non-profit staff, and property managers understand they are in a complex double role as an authority responsible for social order, and as agents of social change and community development. They are concerned about how often residents (especially newcomers) have pre-conceptions about management, which range from fear and mistrust in the face of authority, to overall dependency and uncritical obedience. As a result, they must work beyond their job description to cope with problems of all kinds, from health issues to lending support, from administration to community leadership, from handling maintenance to community organization.

Most agree the use of common areas in a housing community is a strong indicator of the quality and health of the community. Communities that use the common areas tend to show more community integration and inclusiveness than those that lack common areas or do not use them. Property managers and staff of non-profit societies tend to have closer links to the community in developments where common rooms are widely used.The best ways to address problems resulting from encounters among people with different backgrounds are for people to know each other and for a community to be in place. Communities in which residents know each other and are involved in managing the community experience fewer conflicts than communities where problems are handled by the property manager or by external agencies. Conflict is inherent to all communities, but a community where people know each other has more resources to deal with conflicts than those where isolation fuels fear, suspicion, and more isolation.