Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Davenport-Perth supports people in its neighbourhood, especially those who face economic and/or social barriers, to enrich their lives and the life of our community. We do this by working in partnership with local residents and organizations to develop a range of community, health and social support initiatives that are responsive to local needs and opportunities. We strengthen individuals and groups through cooperative action that addresses the political, social, economic, cultural and spiritual life of this neighbourhood.

History of Organization

In July 1985 the Neighbourhood Services Centre Work Group a partnership of agencies, faith communities, government bodies and the Pelham Neighbourhood Action Committee began the development of a community centre and by October 1985 it was incorporated as the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre. The congregation of the Davenport-Perth United Church voted to enter into a partnership with Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre and the community and lease the Church building and manse at 1900 Davenport Rd. 

In the late 1980’s plans were made to renovate the church and the manse. The design linked the 130 year old church and its manse with a west addition. The connecting space served as a public internal street with a high bright ceiling space that connected eight levels. The size and variety of shared space permitted a wide range of activities and programs for children, youth, adults and seniors. A further addition in the north east part of the site accommodated the expansion of a daycare centre. The church sanctuary was converted into a multi-purpose space that is still used for religious services on Sundays.

In 1988, the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre secured funding from the Community Health Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health. A team of physicians, nurses, receptionists and a social worker were hired to provide clinical health services. With the addition of this funding the Centre was able to expand health promotion programming to the children, youth, seniors and family areas as well as further develop its community programs.

Accolades and Accomplishments

In 2010, Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre celebrated 25 years of work with the Davenport West Community. In those 25 years, DPNCHC has celebrated many achievements. We have achieved accreditation three times, most recently in 2007, from the Building Healthier Organizations (BHO) Peer Review system.  BHO is a voluntary peer review process for Community Health Centres that encompasses a review of all policies, programs and recognizes innovation and creativity.

DPNCHC is proud of the programs and services that we have developed with the community throughout our 25 years. With all of our programs located in one building, referrals are easily provided and we work to ensure accessibility to all. Our strategic plan for the next few years provides us with even more opportunity to work with our community members on important issues such as Mental Health and Addictions, Poverty and Chronic disease. We will work together to identify gaps in service and potential avenues to address the gaps and improve services in these three areas.

Programs

>Ready for School Connects
>Seniors’ Services
>Youth Services

Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre is a multi-service agency offering a variety of health and community services in West Toronto.

Our Primary Care services support  all ages, both OHIP insured and non-insured clients and include:

• Urgent care for episodic illness
• Physical health examinations
• Pre and post natal care
• Immunizations
• Home visits for frail seniors
• Chronic care management
• Counselling/Therapy
• Psychiatric assessment and referral

Our Ontario Early Years Centre offers a variety of early years and children’s services for parents/caregivers and children birth to age six that support early childhood development. We also provide a range of comprehensive and coordinated programs such as parenting programs, early literacy, school readiness, community events and health services that take children from the prenatal stage to their inclusion in full day school programs.

Our Children and Youth Services provide a wide variety of programs for school aged children and youth (up to age 24) that offer opportunities to build skills, make friends and access support. Programs include; summer and March break camps, after school programs and leadership initiatives,

Our Adult Services department provides drop-in programs for vulnerable and isolated adults, for example community dining. Other services include resiliency groups, literacy and social club.

Our Seniors Services include a wide range of fitness, recreational and social activities that foster health and vitality for seniors ages 55+.

Our Settlement Services assist newcomers to Canada through individual and group supports. Services include assistance with immigration processes, reunification of families, navigation of Canadian systems and information and referral.

Our Literacy Program works with adults and youth to improve literacy skills, increase employability and enhance independence and quality of life.

Our Volunteer Program offers opportunities for volunteers to contribute to the programs and services at DPNC. Newcomers gain Canadian work experience, adults improve English language skills, and EI or social assistance recipients get involved with their community.

Ready for School Connects

Ready for School Connects (RfSC) recognizes and responds to the unique challenges that newcomer children and families face with regard to school participation. Key components of RfSC include an intensive summer program complete with parent workshops, a Healthy Child Screening and follow up once the children start school.

Newcomer parents learn how to navigate the Canadian education system, how to get involved in their child’s education and how to access community resources.

Newcomer children become comfortable in the classroom environment, develop independence skills, become familiar with the routines of school and learn how to relate with other children and adults in an English speaking environment.  For more information please visit www.rfsc.ca.

RfSC provides training and start up support for schools and community partners to deliver the RfSC model.

Program Impact

Since Ready for School Connects began in 2002, over 700 newcomer families have been able to access clinical care and community supports, become more comfortable in the school environment and ease the transition to school in Canada.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Toronto now has a picture of how ready its young children are to start school, and a disproportionate number in some high-risk communities continue to experience multiple challenges:

The Early Development Instrument (EDI), which measures physical well-being, social, emotional and cognitive development and communication skills, has now been used to assess learning readiness in two cohorts of kindergarten children across all four Toronto school boards. Used in conjunction with other measures, such as learning outcomes and demographic information, the EDI provides communities with a powerful planning and analysis tool. 60 of Toronto’s 140 neighbourhoods (43%) are judged to be at higher risk of having children with lower EDI scores (based on factors such as income and unemployment levels, percentage of immigrants and lone parent families). In a dozen high-risk neighbourhoods, disproportionately located in the Northwest, children have among the highest proportion of low scores in the City, and will be particularly vulnerable in the first critical years of schooling.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

“This loving young boy is making remarkable strides” said Amir’s teacher. What a difference community supports and a great kindergarten teacher can make in just a few months.

In the summer of 2009, Amir walked around the classroom of the Ready for School Connects program, refusing to take part in activities that involved the large group.  It was clear Amir displayed some behavioural red flags, for example repetitive ways of playing with his hands and needing something in  his hands at all times, rarely smiling, not engaging with other children or adults and demonstrating little skill in his home language.  By the end of the two week program, Amir’s mom felt more comfortable talking with staff about her concerns regarding Amir’s development and subsequently brought him to the Healthy Child Screening where his family was able to find clinical supports for their son. Through school-community partnerships Amir has been able to access special education supports that will make sure he is given the best opportunity possible to succeed in school. In order to maintain some of the familiarity of school routines over the summer, this family has been invited to take part in the Ready for School Connects program at his school again this year.

Seniors’ Services

Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre’s Seniors’ Services provides free, multi-cultural, multilingual & ethno-specific, wheel-chair-accessible services that combine social, recreational, health promotion & health education activities for older adults (55 years+), in a community of 56,000 people, where they are 21% of the population.  Objectives are:

• to increase the health & well-being of seniors &
• to strengthen/increase their role in the community.

In particular, we provide assistance to those who are marginalized, isolated, vulnerable & at-risk - facing multiple barriers to services – especially poverty, language, low levels of education, literacy & numeracy (even in their first language).  The outcomes we seek are to:

• strengthen social relationships/networks/cohesion and trust
• increase access and participation in services and systems
• increase community skills/knowledge/awareness/leadership; &
• reduce isolation & fear

To enrich seniors’ lives & their experience in their community, we offer many fitness activities, wellness programs, community information &education, advocacy, art, ESL, computer classes, singing lessons, crafts of many kinds, & daily nutritional adjuncts.  The majority of our seniors are immigrants & refugees, so our multilingual & multicultural staff offer programs in Italian, Portuguese & Spanish – as well as English.

Program Impact

Over the last 25 years, with only 2 – 3 staff, we’ve served almost 6,000 seniors.  In the last 10 years, we’ve provided 15,000 hours of group programs.  Presently, we offer 15 seniors’ programs weekly. Based on our most recent outcomes evaluation, at a time in their lives when many seniors are struggling with health problems, caring for ill partners, or assisting their children in caring for grandchildren - therefore cutting back on outside activities: 

• 86% reported their circle of friends had grown since participating in our programs;
• 80% reported that participating at DPNC made it easier to depend on/trust people/feel less lonely; and
• 88% reported developing new skills/knowledge because of the programs

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Toronto has the highest proportion of seniors in the GTA & nearly double the rate of low income seniors in Ontario. Sadly, more seniors are living alone (1 in 4; 2006 stats), cut off from family & community; increasing the challenges of social isolation and access to healthcare.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

In the Davenport community 30% of resident adults live in poverty, with seniors experiencing higher incidences. Tenant occupancy is higher than the City of Toronto and 46% pay more than 30% of their income on rent.  Seniors cannot afford fee-for-service programs on a regular basis.  68% of seniors do not speak English well, or at all, and are reluctant to participate in programs led in English.  Many seniors are socially isolated & suffer from depression, making motivation for physical activity difficult or impossible.  Ailments of seniors include many conditions which benefit from regular exercise – which we offer. 

Participant Vignette

DPNCHC’s Seniors’ Services “saved my life” says 75 year-old Ms. B. – a widowed, blind & deaf Italian immigrant.  After joining our Donnes Juntas in Salute group for Portuguese & Italian women, Ms. B decided to take part in our GetFit 55+ class.  She enjoyed the camaraderie so much that she decided to come the next day – for Soup Social, Seniors’ Wellness & Sit Fit 55+ (chair aerobics).  New friends she made that day asked her to join them for Community Dining – a hot meal program offered by the Adult Services at DPNCHC. So, in addition to Seniors’ Services, Ms. B decided to come to Adult Services’ Drop-In & Friday Lunch.  No matter the season, Ms.B insists on walking almost 2 km. each way to the Centre – cane in hand & a beautiful smile on her face. 

From fall to spring we provide her with free, door-to-door van service to attend WalkFit 55+ - a mall-walking program we run at a local shopping centre.  After an hour of walking, the seniors can shop before their van ride home. Ms.B hears much better now that we arranged hearing tests that led to her buying a hearing aid at a reduced price.  She has also gained new insight & strategies for self-management of a chronic disease, through our workshops.  No longer lonely and depressed from being home alone all day, Ms.B loves her life again & has made “so many new friends from so many cultures” that she knew nothing about before.  When she leaves, there are double-kisses for friends & “Ciao,bellas” echo back and forth down the hall until the back door closes quietly behind her.

Youth Services

Youth Services offers a range of services and projects to meet the needs of young people 10 - 24 years of age. These include: educational, social and life skills workshops, arts, cultural and recreational programs, employment and pre-employment preparedness support, youth developed and implemented community projects, outreach and promotion, as well as the provision of information and referrals to participants and their families. Through these initiatives DPNC’s Youth Services supports healthy youth development and increase life choices for youth in our community.

Program Goal: Increased life choices for youth

Outcomes:

- Increased social and life skills

- Increased leadership decision making, planning and implementation of project activities

- Increased community skills, knowledge and awareness of youth resources

- Increased community participation

Funding and Program Partners

Key Partnerships/Alliances:

Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, The Stop Community Food Centre, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, St. Stephen’s Community House Youth Arcade, Green Here, Caribbean Dance Theatre, Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre – The Loft Project, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Coalition of Youth Centres, Ryerson University Department of Social Work, St. Stephen’s Youth Employment Centre, Sketch, The Remix, Trinity Square Video, Schools Without Borders, Beatz to Da Streetz

Funding Partners:

Ministry of Health & LTC CHB

City of Toronto – Community Service Partnership

City of Toronto – Drug Prevention, Parks Forestry and Recreation, Graffiti Transformation,

Trillium Foundation

Human Resources Development Canada

Toronto Central - Community Care Access Centre

Fundraising Initiatives

Program Partners:

Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, The Stop Community Food Centre, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, St. Stephen’s Community House Youth Arcade, Green Here, Caribbean Dance Theatre, Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre – The Loft Project, Ryerson University Department of Social Work, St. Stephen’s Employment and Training Centre

Program Impact

In our 2010 program year DPNCHC’s Youth Services has provided over 300 youth safe, creative and accessible projects in which they can meet, participate in workshops, develop life skills, receive individual resources and support, gain employment experience, volunteer and make a meaningful difference in their community.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“One-quarter of Toronto’s youth lack a sense of belonging to their local community, a

feeling that increases significantly as they reach young adulthood” (Toronto’s vital Signs, 2010)

Youth Services increases a young person’s sense of belonging by:

• Engaging youth in identifying issues that affect them and their communities and developing responses for positive change

• Building skills and providing opportunities for voluntarism, community involvement. leadership programs and peer support

• Connecting youth to groups, organizations and individuals within the community

“About one-quarter of Toronto high school students reported being overweight or obese.”(Toronto’s vital Signs, 2010)

Youth Services addresses the issues of obesity by:

• Providing activities that increase youth skills and knowledge related to fitness, nutrition, and mental health

• Providing regular physical activities, nutritious snacks and meals at each program session

• Connecting youth to internal agency resources such as our Community Dietician, Counsellor Therapists, and primary care physicians and nurse practitioners

Participant Vignette

“I slept in the donut shop last night because my mom kicked me out. I called you because I had no one else call”

These were the words 15 year old Ashanti spoke to the Youth Worker the day after the incident with her mom. Ashanti had been an active participant in the after-school program since she was in elementary school. She took part in the Wize-up Homework club, performed in the drumming and dance project for several years, and developed leadership skills through the Youth Action Squad project. She had grown up in the program and had now transitioned from program participant to active volunteer assisting staff with the after-school activities she had once attended. Over the years she had also developed a relationship of trust with program staff that enabled her to call us when she was needed help. Youth Services staff supported her through her crisis, connected her with emergency shelter, contacted the appropriate authorities, and worked with her to address the issues with her family. Ashanti is now in her second year of high-school, back at home and keen to continuing her role as project volunteer and mentor to younger participants.

Ashanti is just one example of the impact that Youth Services can have on its youth participants. In providing activities that develop a range of necessary skills, build positive connections with peers, engage youth in roles of leadership and voluntarism within their community, and provide staff to whom they can talk, and seek resources and support when they are in need.