Building Momentum: United Way Greater Toronto announces $2M+ in grants to expand and strengthen community service spaces

Community real estate grants for 13 projects across the GTA will support key issues, including community infrastructure, mental health, food security

TORONTO, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Just months after launching its Community Real Estate (CRE) Initiative, United Way Greater Toronto is investing $2.125 million in capital grants to support 13 community projects across the GTA. This initial round of funding—part of the organization's 10-year, $23-million commitment to help create and expand sustainable community spaces—will support various needs, from kickstarting new builds to retrofitting existing facilities and providing final-stage funding for major, transformative projects.

United Way's Expanding Community Space Grants (ECSG) represent one of several key components of its broader CRE Initiative. The grants aim to strengthen social infrastructure that supports people where they live, creating more resilient, community-owned spaces, and in some cases, helping to unlock larger housing and shelter initiatives. This investment will enable 240,000 sq. ft. of new or improved community service space.

"Secure and quality space is a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to delivering services to our communities," said Ruth Crammond, Vice President of Community Infrastructure, United Way Greater Toronto. "Through funding and expertise, United Way is helping community organizations push back against rising costs and take control of their future."

Research in the 2024 Essential Spaces Report revealed that 70 per cent of social service agencies in the GTA do not own their own space. The CRE Initiative is designed to take vulnerable organizations out of the precarious commercial market by helping them secure more stable, non-market spaces, ensuring that services delivered by community agencies can continue where they are most needed. 

Supporting diverse communities and needs 

A total of 13 projects will deliver programs and services across Peel, Toronto and York Region, supporting the key issues of community infrastructure and inclusive spaces; health, aging and social care services; and youth, family and newcomer services. They include: 

• Parkdale Community Foodbank (Toronto): The Parkdale community hub tackles local food insecurity head-on, supported by 300 volunteers and seven staff members. United Way funding will support renovation, equipment upgrades and furnishings for 5 Brock Ave., a new food hub with 4,500 sq ft of community space. By completion in April 2026, the facility will welcome 15,000 food bank users annually, with improved accessibility, food storage and prep facilities, and an enhanced space for clients, staff and volunteers.
• Community and Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS): Establishing Vaughan's first not-for-profit respite centre with the renovation of historic Bassingthwaite House, CHATS will provide 24/7 short-term care up to two weeks in a homelike environment for 250 individuals living with dementia, including their caregivers. United Way's grant supports the installation of vital accessibility features across the property, including a universal accessible washroom, to ensure safety and well-being for visitors. Set for completion in March 2026, the project will result in a total 2,600 sq. ft. of community space.
• Family Services York Region (Sutton West): This project will expand community space and add a new kitchen at the Georgina facility, increasing the organization's capacity to serve families. Funded entirely by United Way, from design and permitting through to construction and outfitting, the renovation will benefit about 300 clients across all of its programs and support a new community partnership with the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, who will deliver child welfare and mental health services at the site.
• Toronto People with AIDS Foundation: The Foundation is retrofitting its existing hub to create 10 new affordable office and program spaces, expanding support for 1,500 people living with HIV/AIDS annually. United Way's capital investment will help renovate 5,000 sq. ft. of community space by October 2025, providing a stable, inclusive environment for non-profits serving queer, trans, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and refugee communities across the GTA.
• Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services (Mississauga): Serving up to 150 refugees daily and over 1,000 annually—40% of whom are youth and children— Reception House provides essential supports like housing, orientation, and benefit applications for refugee children, youth and their families during their transitional stay after arrival in Canada. The upgraded facilities will offer a safe, inclusive space for physical activity and connection with an enclosed playground, basketball court and multisport field. The 31,215 sq. ft. community area is expected to be completed by November 2025.
• Indus Community Services (Brampton) –This mixed-use housing project with 75+ affordable units geared to seniors and 6,000 sq. ft. of community space will support culturally and linguistically appropriate social services for low-income seniors and families in the Pleasantview community. Funding will go towards pre-development and design costs, as well as furniture for the community space.

The Community Real Estate Initiative represents a necessary evolution in United Way's work over the last 70 years, supporting a network of agencies first through funding vital programs and now by ensuring agencies can deepen their roots and stay in the communities they serve.

To learn more, visit https://www.unitedwaygt.org/communityrealestate.

About United Way Greater Toronto

As the largest non-government funder of community services in the GTA, United Way Greater Toronto reinforces a crucial community safety net to support people living in poverty. United Way's network of agencies and initiatives in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York Region works to ensure that everyone has access to the programs and services they need to thrive. Mobilizing community support, United Way's work is rooted in ground-breaking research, strategic leadership, local advocacy and cross-sectoral partnerships committed to building a more equitable region and lasting solutions to the GTA's greatest challenges.

SOURCE United Way Greater Toronto

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