Community Development
Director- Denise Andrea Campbell
The Community Development Unit (CDU) supports the City of Toronto's Strategic Plan in general and its Social Development Strategy and Community Safety goals in particular. This includes implementing the following strategic directions:
- Strengthen communities to participate in place-based service planning and delivery
- Invest in a comprehensive social infrastructure
- Expand civic leadership and develop community partnerships
Our Unit is focused on systemic change that leads to a healthy and equitable city. We practice the philosophy of community building – a belief that each resident, community, organization, agency, business and City Division has gifts and talents to share with others and contributes to each others growth, learning and development.
Our approaches support and encourage people and groups to discover and mobilize these gifts and talents to build strong communities and neighbourhoods. The supports we provide are in-kind in the areas of:
- Place-based community planning and capacity building
- Partnership development and management
- Organizational, board and volunteer development
- Anti-oppression, organizational change and service access
- Financial planning, resource development/management and accountability
- Policy development
- Planning, development and delivery of integrated programs and services
- Support agency effectiveness, efficiency
- Facilitate city and community initiated community development services in response to identified community needs.
Much of this work is currently delivered through Neighbourhood Action in the city’s priority areas for investment, Community Crisis Response city-wide and two civic engagement bodies: the Toronto Youth Cabinet and the Toronto Seniors Forum. The Community Development Unit is focused on systemic change that leads to a healthy and equitable city.
Neighbourhood Action
The majority of the Community Development Unit is focused on Neighbourhood Action, a strategic corporate initiative coming out of the Community Safety Plan. 10 Community Development Officers (CDOs) facilitate Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) and Neighbourhood Action Partnerships (NAPs) in the 13 priority neighbourhoods across the city. The NATs have staff from across city divisions (i.e. Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Planning, Children Services, Public Health etc.) and staff from our city agencies (ie. Toronto Police, Toronto Public Library and Toronto Community Housing).
Their goal is to create, enhance and integrate services and programs to better support vulnerable residents in the priority neighbourhoods. The NAPs, include city staff but also residents, community agencies, faith communities, etc. to be a multi-sectoral table that makes local decisions. CDOs are tasked to support these teams to create meaningful opportunities for employment, training and development, youth engagement, youth justice and community and family supports.
Visit the Neighbourhood Action Portal for more information.
Director, Community Resources
Manager, Community Development
Nrinder Nann
416-392-0103
Supervisor, Community Crisis Response
Scott McKean
416-392-8710