WoodGreen Community Services has launched their largest fundraising initiative, the UnMet Needs Fundraising Campaign. The organization sets out to raise $25 million dollars to deliver support for Toronto’s seniors, youth, newcomers, women, the unhoused, and the unemployed.
The concentration of the UNMET Needs Fundraising Campaign looks at seven social support gaps in Toronto, helping those who are:
- UNSEEN: $5M for seniors’ affordable housing and community care supports.
- UNSUPPORTED: $5M to empower youth with education, skills training, and mental health and wellness programs.
- UNHOUSED: $5M for affordable housing for at-risk youth and marginalized populations. Specifically, WoodGreen is targeting 3,000 new affordable units, 1,000 of which allocated for seniors housing.
- UNSAFE: $3.5M for housing, child care, training and education for women and children fleeing abuse.
- UNEMPLOYED: $2M to address the training and employment needs of individuals who are unemployed or under-employed.
- UNWELCOME: $2M to expand settlement services to support 4,000 newcomer refugees with housing and enhance skills training.
- And other URGENT UNMET needs: $2.5M to alleviate immediate food and financial insecurity.
According to the organization, over 53 per cent of Canadians are within $200 of financial insolvency. Food bank use is up over 100 per cent since 2021, and individuals who never accessed support previously are now reliant on these services.
The organization further states that over 10,000 people are living on the streets – 2,000 of whom are youth. Partner violence affects an estimated 1 in 3 women, a stat that is higher than the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer among women. Additionally, the affordable housing waitlist is over 80,000 households and includes 35,000 seniors’ households, many of whom will wait 10 years for occupancy.
Over 53 per cent of Canadians are within $200 of financial insolvency. Food bank use is up over 100 per cent since 2021, and individuals who never accessed support previously are now reliant on these services. Over 10,000 people are living on the streets – 2,000 of whom are youth. Partner violence affects an estimated 1 in 3 women, a stat that is higher than the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer among women. Additionally, the affordable housing waitlist is over 80,000 households and includes 35,000 seniors’ households, many of whom will wait 10 years for occupancy.