Community leaders repeatedly shared the ways the current political climate, both nationally and in Wisconsin, is straining social connection and creating deep fear among marginalized groups. LGBTQ+ residents shared concerns about increasing hostility, stigma, and policies that target their rights, identities, and safety. These pressures have intensified social isolation and mistrust, especially among youth and transgender individuals, who described feeling less safe in public spaces and more cautious about accessing community resources. Advisory Group members emphasized that this political environment is not abstract; it shows up in people’s day-to-day lives as chronic stress, hyper-vigilance, and disconnection from civic life, faith communities, and even family networks.

Immigrant, migrant, and refugee communities expressed parallel fears, particularly in light of the escalating immigration enforcement actions and rhetoric. Immigrant advocates described residents who are afraid to leave their homes, hesitant to access services, and avoiding public spaces where they previously found connection. Families worry about deportation, ICE raids, and being targeted based on their language, skin color, documentation status, or country of origin. This climate of fear undermines social trust and weakens the informal networks that often serve as lifelines. Through Connected Fox Valley, partners affirmed the need for community-centered strategies that rebuild safety, belonging, and trust, such as culturally grounded gathering spaces, connector models, peer navigation, trauma-informed outreach, and partnerships with organizations already trusted in these communities. In this moment, strengthening social connection is not just a quality-of-life issue; it is a matter of safety, resilience, and human dignity.

A recurring theme throughout interviews, listening sessions, and advisory group conversations was the desire for meaningful inclusion, particularly among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ community members, and others who experience marginalization. Many participants shared that while they are sometimes invited into important discussions, the timing and purpose of those invitations often prevent them from contributing in an authentic way. Instead of being included from the beginning, they are brought in as an afterthought or near the end when decisions have already been shaped. This pattern leaves people feeling tokenized rather than valued and highlights a gap between stated equity goals and lived experience.

Community members expressed that true inclusion means being involved early, when ideas are still forming and priorities are still flexible. It means sharing decision-making power, not just giving feedback on predetermined plans.  Lived experience is a form of expertise, and when institutions overlook that expertise or treat it as optional, the community loses valuable insight and misses opportunities to build trust, relevance, and belonging. For those who have historically been excluded from leadership or civic processes, the difference between being consulted late and being engaged early is the difference between feeling like a partner and feeling like a checkbox.

At a broader system level, advisory group members acknowledged that this shift requires intentionality and new habits. This may include expanding who receives invitations, stepping outside familiar networks, compensating community members for their time and expertise, and creating environments where diverse voices are supported and heard. This work is not only about representation. It is also about building a more equitable culture of leadership and collaboration across the Fox Valley.

Throughout this project, a recurring tension surfaced in both group discussions and one-on-one interviews. Community leaders and residents alike reflected on the challenge of prioritizing social connection when individuals and families are struggling to meet basic needs such as housing, transportation, food, safety, and stability. Many shared that when someone is working multiple jobs, navigating complex systems, or experiencing housing insecurity, opportunities to join the YMCA, attend a community event, or attend a support group can feel unrealistic or inaccessible. This insight highlights an important truth. Without stability, consistency, and a sense of safety, social connectedness may feel secondary or even out of reach.

At the same time, participants also emphasized that connection does not disappear during hardship. In fact, many forms of community and belonging emerge in the very places where basic needs are being met. During this initiative, we heard stories about the sense of community among people who are unhoused and rely on shared spaces where meals are served. We also heard about connection forming in waiting rooms, food pantries, shelters, worship communities, crisis response programs, and mutual aid networks. These examples challenge the idea that social connection only happens once someone’s basic needs are met. Instead, they show that connection is a deeply human need that surfaces even in difficult circumstances.

This insight suggests an important shift in how we think about social connectedness. Meeting basic needs and building belonging are not separate stages. They are interdependent. When services are designed with connection in mind and community environments are built to foster dignity and relationships, people are more likely to feel seen, supported, and hopeful. Social connectedness strengthens resilience and improves mental and physical health. It can also make it easier for people to navigate systems and access the resources they need. As a result, investing in both basic needs and connection at the same time creates a more inclusive and compassionate community where everyone has opportunities to belong, contribute, and thrive.

Across this project, another valuable insights has been recognizing the importance of understanding what already exists in our community. There are many programs, initiatives, partnerships, and informal efforts working every day to build belonging and connection across the Fox Valley. This work spans neighborhoods, nonprofits, local government, healthcare, faith communities, grassroots movements, and more. Far from starting from scratch, Connected Fox Valley has revealed how much there is to celebrate, strengthen, and sustain. The process of taking stock has surfaced pride, momentum, and a shared belief that our region already holds many of the building blocks needed to make social connectedness a communitywide priority.

Through interviews, advisory group meetings, and community conversations, a key theme emerged. The people doing this work are often so focused on meeting community needs that they rarely have time to step out of their organizational silos and connect with one another. Many leaders shared how uncommon it is to have dedicated space to learn about overlapping efforts, understand shared challenges, or build relationships across sectors.

As a result, even well-intentioned work can become disconnected or duplicated. When leaders were able to come together through Connected Fox Valley, many expressed excitement in discovering alignment, shared purpose, and possibilities they had not been able to see before.

This realization helped shape one of the core outputs of the initiative, the interactive and searchable Strategy Hub. The hub was created as a shared resource to support ongoing learning, collaboration, visibility, and coordination across the region. Its purpose is to serve as a living map of who is doing what, where, and for whom, so that organizations can identify gaps, strengthen existing efforts, align strategies, and build new partnerships. The hope is that by providing a clear view of the landscape, the Strategy Hub will continue to spark collaboration, reduce fragmentation, and elevate strategies that are already working. In doing so, it reinforces the idea that connection is not only the goal of the work, but also the way the work must move forward.

Across conversations with nonprofit leaders and advisory group members, a growing sense of scarcity emerged as a defining challenge. Many organizations are navigating funding losses, grant uncertainty, rising costs, and increasing demand for services. Leaders described the fear and pressure this creates, often forcing difficult choices about staffing, programs, and sustainability. In this context, funding can feel like a zero-sum game, with more organizations competing for fewer dollars, shaping how decisions are made and relationships are formed.

Participants noted that scarcity thinking can discourage collaboration at the very moment it is most needed. When organizations are focused on survival, it becomes harder to share ideas, capacity, or credit, and easier to view potential partners as competitors. Funding structures that reward individual outcomes can reinforce this dynamic, weakening trust and fragmenting systems. Over time, this environment limits innovation and makes collective problem solving more difficult.

At the same time, this work points toward an important aspiration for the future. Connected Fox Valley aims to help create the conditions for a shift away from scarcity-driven decision making and toward a more abundance-oriented approach grounded in trust and shared purpose. Abundance in this context does not mean ignoring financial constraints. It means recognizing that relationships, coordination, shared learning, and alignment across organizations are powerful assets. By creating space for connection, transparency, and collaboration, this initiative seeks to support a more resilient ecosystem where organizations can work together, strengthen one another’s efforts, and pursue shared goals in ways that support long-term sustainability for both the sector and the community.