Why are we joining West Neighbourhood House?

The Greenest City community told us, and the staff and board heard, that the community wants us to:

• continue and grow the Milky Way food, community and climate action hub

• continue and grow in the journey toward righting relations with the land and with Indigenous elders and community members

• continue and grow the amount of food growing and sharing we do in our neighbourhood as a way to increase access to fresh food, climate mitigation and adaptation strategy, and a way to connect to the earth and each other

We determined that joining Greenest City and West Neighbourhood House offers us the greatest potential for achieving these impacts.

Why do we need to evolve Greenest City to achieve these community impacts?

COVID has been hard on everyone, including small non-profit organizations like Greenest City. The Ontario Nonprofit Network has reported that 6 out of 10 small non-profits are likely to close in the next year. 

Furthermore, Greenest City does not receive core funding. This means that we have not been able to maintain all of our programs and the excellent staff who run them because of lack of secure funding.

However, Greenest City does currently receive funding for our programs, which will sustain our work until July 2022.

We realized that Greenest City cannot continue or grow our impact within our current organizational model.  We also recognized that we are in a position of strength with our current programming funding, and our long history of community-centred work in Parkdale.  

And so we started exploring alternative organizational models that would support Greenest City to deepen and grow our community impact.

Why is West Neighbourhood House an ideal partner for Greenest City?

We looked for a partner who met various criteria, including:

• Have far greater organizational stability than our small non-profit.

• Share deep commitment to principles of solidarity-oriented community development, climate action, and righting relation with Indigenous Peoples and the earth.

• Are dedicated to community programming in the neighbourhood of Parkdale.

• Believe that Greenest City’s programs will help them grow as an organization to better meet their own strategic commitments.

 West Neighbourhood House met all of these criteria, and more. 

What does this change mean for the community gardens and the Milky Way Food, Community and Climate Action hub?  

West Neighbourhood House remains committed, like Greenest City, to supporting and growing the impact of these important community assets.

Where will the Greenest City offices be located?

The offices of Greenest City program staff will be continue to be housed at 201 Cowan Avenue in Parkdale. We will also continue to have our mailing address and community space in the basement the Masaryk Cowan Community Centre at 220 Cowan Avenue. Our phone numbers will also remain the same.

How did the Greenest City board describe the spirt of this change?

At the December 3, 2021 board meeting, the Greenest City board passed the motion to voluntarily join West Neighbourhood House starting January 1, 2022. In this motion, the Greenest City board described the spirit of this change as follows:

 “Greenest City board does this in spirit of understanding that West Neighbourhood House has, in spirit, taken on the deep relationships, partnerships, commitments to a thriving earth and thriving people, and has indicated through West Neighbourhood House’s newly approved Strategic Plan, includes a commitment to climate action and righting relations with Indigenous people and the earth.  We understand that these commitments are better held by West Neighbourhood House and indeed, the impact can grow in the current funding climate; and the strength, resources, and experience West Neighbourhood House brings to community development and the community.” 

Who is West Neighbourhood House?

West Neighbourhood House is a multi-service neighbourhood centre that has been serving downtown west Toronto since 1912.  They are a secular, non-profit, registered charity that works with the community to address critical issues through personal and social change. 

 With their neighbours, West Neighbourhood House strives to find solutions rooted in community strengths, collaboration, local impact and equitable public policy. They operate out of six locations, including in Parkdale, and cover a catchment area from Lake Ontario in the south to Bloor street in the north, Bathurst Street in the east to Roncesvalle Avenue in the west. 

The team of multilingual staff and volunteers at West Neighbourhood House serve over 15,000 people a year, addressing issues including: 

• homelessness and housing affordability

• un- and under-employment

• poverty

• inequities, racism and oppression

• literacy 

• aging

• mental and physical health

• immigration and settlement 

• violence

• isolation, and 

• financial exclusion

 Greenest City has long admired the work of West Neighbourhood House in Parkdale and beyond.  West Neighbourhood House has the stability to support Greenest City to grow our impact. Furthermore, Greenest City brings a history of relationships and programs that will also support West Neighbourhood to grow. The programs at Greenest City, and our commitment to a thriving earth and thriving relationships, including climate action and righting relations with Indigenous peoples, directly support West Neighbourhood House’s newly approved Strategic Plan. 

 With these factors, and the strong commitment West NH has to climate action, community development principles, and Indigenous righting relations, this transition will provide the foundation to increase our impact together. 

What about donations I want to make specifically to Greenest City programs? 

Greenest City has long valued the support of our donors who believe in our mission. We still, very much, need the support of donations to fuel this work.  

 West Neighbourhood House has committed to supporting fundraising specifically for Greenest City programs.  

 Please make your 2022 donations to West Neighbourhood House and indicate Community Development/Greenest City as your program of choice.