Child's play could soon be pivotal in improving life at a problem-plagued social housing complex.

Tenants at the Oriole Crescent and Martha Street complex in Hamilton are excited about a new playground that volunteers will build in just one day -- on Thursday.

And it stands for more than just a place for their kids to play.

The hope is it will be a catalyst for change -- a spark to move the community away from the daily barrage of threats, thefts, beatings and vandalism from undesirable youth living among them.

For the premise behind this state-of-the-art playground is community-building.

The children have designed it and the parents will help build it.

Being part of the playground project is no small feat for the tenants living in this rough and tough crowded row housing that is also crawling with kids -- there are 536 in this complex alone.

"Everyone is at the breaking point now," says resident Charity Stiles.

She's as excited about the playground as her two boys Ethan, 6, and Jordan, 8, who both helped with the design.

"We don't want to see that stuff (the vandalism and beatings) here," she said.

"We want our homes and where we live back ... the playground is a starting point."

The project comes from a partnership between Home Depot Canada and a non-profit organization in the United States called KaBOOM!

Home Depot covers most of the $57,200 US material cost and KaBOOM! facilitates the project to be built at 44 Martha Street on a vacant sand spot between the housing units.

KaBOOM! aims to build playgrounds -- and in Canada, also ice rinks -- within walking distance of every child in America while also building community spirit and pride.

This is the first KaBOOM! project in Hamilton and the 36th in Canada.

KaBOOM!'s Sarah Pinsky said from her Chicago office: "We want strong kids and strong community through the process."

A lack of play is linked to dire social problems "such as childhood obesity, underachievement in school, youth violence and crime," says KaBOOM!'s website.

A playground like this helps kids, but also the people who come together to build it because "a healthy society depends on the active engagement of its citizens."

About 200 volunteers have signed up to build the playground.

Volunteers include police, housing and Home Depot representatives -- and residents such as Anna Ifenou.

She'll be there helping "in any possible way I can."

Maybe preparing and serving food.

"There will be a lot of people to feed and see to."

Ifenou is thrilled for her neighbours, the children and her own daughter Thonia, who just turned three and is the youngest child to help design the playground.

"It brings people together. And the children get an opportunity to reap what we sow that day. It'll be wonderful."

Children are often outside their homes wondering what to do because there's little space to throw a ball or skip, she said.

"When they see that the adults are listening, it gives them a lot of confidence."

The kids were invited to draw their dream playground with crayons and paper.

From the ideas of the 15 to 20 children who participated, three designs were produced.

Kids and parents then voted.

Ifenou's daughter Thonia is proud of her drawing.

"I drawed my friend Sophie and me and my dad and Sophie's dad, and the playground," said the toddler.

"And we're having fun and Sophie's swinging at the park," she added.

Neighbour Michael Kljajevich-Brown, 10, looks forward to the playground because "it's boring around here."

Stiles thinks it's great the kids had a direct hand in the design.

Her own boys were excited to be "the centre of attention and that they were being listened to."

She calls the project an uplifting experience that will hopefully lead tenants and the children to take pride in it and to want to keep it clean and safe.

City Housing Hamilton, which owns and operates the subsidized housing complex, is contributing $10,000 and staff help to the project.

The OriMarRox residents association -- representing the neighbourhood and the complex at Oriole Crescent, Martha Street and Roxborough Avenue -- is organizing the residents.

Vicki Woodcox, Hamilton's director of employment, housing and long-term care, is encouraged.

"They are starting to group and unite together, and that's what we want in the longer term," said Woodcox.

"Any way we can encourage the tenants to be more involved and have more input, will improve their quality of life there."