Dear Friends of the House,
Recent months have been bustling with activities. In June, we gathered for our Annual General Meeting, an event that celebrates the past year’s accomplishments, connections, and community spirit that are the foundation of West Neighbourhood House.
In this edition, we share Alice’s story, a participant in the Financial Empowerment program. She has improved her living standards and is on her way to financial stability.
As well, many of you may have connected with us at Do West Fest. This year featured another successful craft bazaar by the Portuguese Women group, the always popular face-painting stand for kids, and activities for families on the street. Inside, our courtyard was transformed through the weekend into a cookout, dance party, plus Big Mahjong run by All Flower Mahjong Club.
It was a vibrant reminder of the power in our spaces to bring people together as we share updates about our plans for the 248 Ossington redevelopment. We hope to engage your support in what comes next so watch this space!
Read on for more about what has been happening at the House.
AGM Recap: Celebrating Another Year of Community Impact
West Neighbourhood House held our Annual General Meeting (AGM) this June. The AGM is an opportunity to report on our work over the past year, as well as acknowledging the community members who make it possible for the House to create positive change.
At the meeting, we invited our architects from LGA to share updates about the proposed redevelopment of the 248 Ossington location. They shared the design concept for the building, and the planning timelines ahead.
Executive Director Maureen Fair also spoke about the need to rebuild on the current site, rather than continuing to pay for costly repairs. We are planning to invite the public for an in-person meeting at the end of the summer. For more information, please email 248redevelopment@westnh.org.
We extend our deep gratitude to Sean Meagher who is leaving the Board, after completing the maximum two terms, for his service to our community.
Voting members approved minutes from the 2025 AGM meeting and approved the audited financial statements for 2025-2026 that are prepared by our external auditor. To view the 2025-26 Annual Report, including full audited financial statements, please visit our website.
As part of the night’s proceedings, the House announced this year’s recipients of the Sir James Woods for Community Development, highlighting the Avengers Group for their nutritious meal contributions to the members of the Meeting Place drop-in for over a decade.
The Avengers Group started as a Meetup in 2013, handing out sandwiches to unhoused neighbours on the streets downtown. Since 2016, they have focused on the Meeting Place, with a rotating team of volunteers who organize and prepare delicious and healthy meals. The Avengers’ cooking and warm presence is a highlight for many Meeting Place members. We appreciate the Avengers’ care and commitment.
Learn more about the Avengers Group on our website.
For the second year, the House was able to support a young person in our community to pursue academic goals through the Bob Ellis Award. The Bob Ellis Fund was established in 2019 in honour of the extraordinary influence Bob Ellis had on the lives of youth living downtown over several generations.
Bob Ellis was a long-time staff and Board member at the House. To support Bob’s dream, you can contribute on our website. Please click Bob Ellis Fund in the drop-down menu under Fund.
This year we recognized a local student, Kaylyn Fernandes, who has distinguished herself through her volunteering with children and youth programs, including our own Newcomer Youth Program, as well as her school choir. She just graduated from Bishop Morocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School.
Kaylyn plans to become a social worker so she can work with children and families who have experienced trauma. She believes in the importance of offering mentorship and mental health support, especially for immigrants as they adjust to a new life in Canada.
Through her many achievements, and community leadership, Kaylyn is truly deserving of the Bob Ellis Award.
Financial Coaching Is A Lifechanger
Two years ago, *Alice found herself in a difficult situation. She was experiencing financial difficulty, while also dealing with health issues.
“I was struggling financially. I was not very aware of a lot of the services that were available to me. I didn’t really have the knowledge and the power that I have today,” Alice says. This changed after Alice got connected to her financial coach, Damian.
“He was able to open up my mind and let me know about the different services available. He’s really empowered me.”
After learning about the Financial Empowerment program at West Neighbourhood House, Alice booked her first meeting with Damian. As a Certified Financial Counsellor, Damian works alongside participants to understand their financial challenges, support them to make changes, and establish goals for future financial health.
“I’m so much happier because I know I have a support system like Damian and that I know I have somebody I can talk to. If, I have any financial questions, he’s available to bounce off ideas and to support me. So, I’m feeling a lot better about my finances now.”
Following their appointment, during which Alice shared more about her financial situation, Damian partnered with her to examine her budget, define personal financial goals, and develop an action plan customized for both her present circumstances and future aspirations.
“I had a line of credit but I didn’t really know how to manage it on my own. Damian met me at the bank and explained everything to me, so that I understood. He’s become an advocate for me in that area of my life.”
Financial coaching uses a holistic approach to identify clear pathways forward and strengthen financial knowledge. It is a partnership between participant and coach, which requires steps by both parties to move ahead, while being deeply rooted in a non-judgemental and relational approach that always has the participants’ strengths and goals at the centre. Depending on individual factors, a financial coach may focus on budgeting skills, resolving debt, understanding and improving credit scores, or future financial growth.
“[Damian] also gave me information about the kind of supports that I could receive like the Canada Disability Benefit, which I have now because of him.”
Now that her financial situation is more stable, Alice can focus on prioritizing her health. She is also thinking about going back to school.
“I have a lot of big dreams, and I feel like Damian was a huge part of that by giving me the confidence I needed.”
*Name changed for privacy reasons.
Community Crisis at Queen and Bathurst
West Neighbourhood House has been serving the downtown west community for 114 years. We have never seen homelessness and drug overdoses at the scale we see today around Queen and Bathurst and across the city.
Our Meeting Place drop-in at Queen and Bathurst supports people who are unhoused, unsheltered, and socially isolated, helping them connect to housing, healthcare, and other supports. We see significant increases in people seeking help, many of whom say they have nowhere else to go because shelters are full. Along with the increased numbers of homelessness, there is significantly increased toxicity in the drug supply for people who use substances.
In the past, our staff rarely faced the problem of people overdosing. Now they happen daily. On July 11 alone, there were 11 overdoses at our site. Thankfully, all the people were resuscitated. Overdoses are happening even though we do not allow drug use at the Meeting Place or on our property.
We know that public drug use, symptoms of withdrawal, and overdoses are visible around the Meeting Place. Local residents and businesses are telling us they are troubled by this and by overcrowded sidewalks and waste issues.
We want to be clear to our broader community: we hear you. This is not acceptable. We want the people we serve and all our neighbours to be safe.
People using our services are among the most vulnerable members of our community and are in terrible distress. They deserve better, just like local residents and businesses also deserve to see this situation improve.
We are working with partners to try to stabilize the situation, and we have seen some progress.
- Our partners, including Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre and Fred Victor Centre, provide outreach teams for daily wellness checks, help maintaining safe public spaces, and build relationships with community members;
- We have discussions with Meeting Place members about ways to be good neighbours;
- The City of Toronto has increased waste management services in the area and is funding additional staffing at the Meeting Place to help address the unprecedented demand;
- We are working with medical partners to expand addiction medicine services to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings and to try to have faster access to treatment.
There are also higher-level steps that can help right now. Expanding shelter capacity would give unhoused people somewhere to go beyond the street. Safe consumption sites would reduce the volume of overdoses in public.
But longer-term work is needed to reverse this crisis and create the supported community we all deserve. More affordable housing will help people move on from homelessness. Addressing the toxic drug supply can save lives. Mental health and addictions prevention and treatment services can keep people safe, and on track to recovery.
During this crisis, West Neighbourhood House is committed to helping vulnerable people and keeping the community as safe as possible.
Building Community Connections at Do West with West
Do West Festival is a street festival that brings together local businesses, community agencies, artists and venders every June on Dundas West.
This year, the House welcomed community members into our space for two days of activities. We were also joined by our partners Gerstein Crisis Centre, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, and Hard Feelings.
We appreciate the hard work of the Little Portugal BIA and many volunteers for again supporting a festival which drew record numbers. We look forward to seeing you all there again next year!
Donate to not attend.
Dear Friend of the House,
Please do NOT join us for a charity soccer tournament we are definitely NOT hosting this summer. Instead, pick a way to NOT participate and make a gift that will support programs across West Neighbourhood House.
West Neighbourhood House is responding to growing needs in our community. As we welcome visitors from around the world this summer, we celebrate what makes this city truly special – our diverse neighbourhoods.
A gift to the Non-Event will support essential programs that enable individuals, families and groups in the community to gain greater control of their lives.
With gratitude,
Adrienne Lipsey,
Volunteer Board President
Maureen Fair,
Executive Director
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