Each year WoodGreen Community Services helps:

• 11,000 seniors, their caregivers and older adults with disabilities through programs like Meals on Wheels, social work, transportation services & more.
• 2,000 people with mental health and developmental challenges through programs like the friendship club, guitar program, lobby drop in program and supported independent living.
• 1,000 people who call WoodGreen housing home, and our tenants have access to the complete basket of services we offer.
• 4,000 people with serious homelessness and housing issues.
• 7,000 newcomers of all ages make a successful transition into Canadian society through 11 different programs geared at finding sustainable employment, language instruction and settling in Toronto.
• 700 children enrolled in WoodGreen’s eight child care centres, located in the city’s east end. One of those, the Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre, is noted as a model for the future by Dr. Charles Pascal in his ground-breaking report on full-day early learning.

Did you know?

• Catering of organic, healthy food is provided to each of WoodGreen’s eight child care centres each day by Real Food For Real Kids.
• As one of eight partner agencies with Family Service Toronto, WoodGreen offers Growing Up Healthy Downtown, focusing on the health and well being of children and providing support services for their caregivers.
• WoodGreen operates five supportive housing sites giving residents access to 24-hour personal support and homemaking services. We deliver an additional 8,760 hours of supportive housing services to people living in other facilities within the community.
• Through our Homeward Bound Program, WoodGreen removes the barriers to affordable housing for single mothers living in shelters with their children, often providing them with the first safe, stable housing environment they’ve ever had.
• Internationally Trained Professionals come to WoodGreen to find work within their existing professions. Participants are connected with credential assessments, job specific language training, job search and job development, and mentorships.
• WoodGreen’s Immigrant Services operates the Host Program for newcomers to Canada. Volunteer “hosts” act as mentors to newcomers, helping them practice English, learn about their new city and make social connections.
• WoodGreen‘s satellite offices provide newcomers with easy access to settlement and employment services in their own neighbourhood.
• With two locations, our After 4 child care program includes healthy lifestyle activities, homework clubs and the opportunity to participate in fun outings with a network of volunteers from the community.
• Rites of Passage is an Afro Centric program piloted by WoodGreen to help young people develop the foundational skills of leadership, confidence and purpose that will help them succeed in school and future employment.
• The Sisters in Action program provides opportunity to young Muslim women to engage in social recreation activities, sports and develop skills through mentorship.

Historical tidbits:

• WoodGreen operated the first day care attached to a church in Toronto.
• Ray McCleary, WoodGreen’s founder, organized the first Canadian cemetery in Normandy during WWII.
• In 1946 95% of all houses in the Queen and Booth area contributed to WoodGreen’s first fundraising campaign.
• WoodGreen became a United Way member agency in 1957.
• In 1958 a time capsule was buried during the construction of the new church and neighbourhood house at Queen and Booth.
• In 1958 WoodGreen opened Toronto’s first legal aid clinic.
• With a donation from the Rotary Club, WoodGreen developed a youth employment program that would later become Youth Employment Services (YES), a provincial-wide government program.
• WoodGreen played a key role in developing the city-wide Chinese Interagency Network
• WoodGreen began offering Chinese language programming in 1971.
• WoodGreen has offered Meals on Wheels services since 1972.
• In 1982 WoodGreen opened its first employment centre.
• In 1994 WoodGreen opened its supportive housing program for frail seniors.
• In 2002/2003 The City of Toronto asked WoodGreen to take the lead in transitioning residents of “Tent City” into permanent housing.
• In 2007 WoodGreen installed the largest, most powerful solar thermal heating system in Ontario on the roof of WoodGreen’s 1070 Queen Street East housing location