Developed in partnership with United Way Greater Toronto, the Community Coordination Plan ensures coordination and communication with more than 400 community-based organizations. The new model of partnership implements service coordination and hyper local solutions to meet the needs of Toronto’s equity-deserving communities.

The Community Coordination Plan is made up of ten geographic Clusters and two non-geographic Clusters. The geographic Clusters were identified with consideration given to the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy (TSNS), Community Safety and Wellbeing Programs, and Toronto Police Service boundaries. The two non-geographic Clusters include:

  • A Black Resilience Cluster for Black-serving, Black-led and Black-focused (B3) community organizations
  • A Newcomer Cluster for community organizations supporting migrants, refugees and undocumented residents

 

Find your Community Development Officer and learn how to get involved in the Community Coordination Plan.

View Community Coordination Plan Clusters map

Key Initiatives

Through the Community Coordination Plan, Cluster partners collaborate on several key initiatives that support equity-deserving groups and vulnerability-experiencing residents and community members, including:

 

Each Community Coordination Plan Cluster is facilitated by City staff and United Way Greater Toronto staff who convene community organization leadership in virtual meetings on a regular basis. Each Cluster collaborates on real time issues management, identifying and addressing emerging needs, supporting access to resources, and escalating systemic challenges through identified City and United Way Greater Toronto channels. 

Cluster partners work together to:

  • Identify high priority issues experienced by people who are most vulnerable and develop immediate action(s) to respond in real time
  • Support community organizations delivering services for residents to remain open and operational
  • Triage urgent issues for escalation to appropriate City divisions, United Way Greater Toronto channels, advisory groups, and other initiatives identified by the leadership team
  • Track, analyze and report trends, gaps and solutions

The Community Coordination Plan continues to support how the City collaboratively plans and engages with the non-profit sector as we work towards equitable recovery and rebuild. The City of Toronto and United Way, in partnership with participating community organizations, are developing the future state model of the Community Coordination Plan that focuses on resilience and continued partnership. 

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way Greater Toronto, City of Toronto, and Community Coordination Plan Cluster partner organizations identified the need to prioritize community resilience and sector preparedness to address future urban shocks and stressors, as well as equitable urgent needs responses, through strategic and coordinated collaboration. Based on the 2022 Community Coordination Plan Evaluation and subsequent conversations with the Cluster partner organizations, it was determined that creating a common set of actions and readiness factors for each Cluster is a key component of leveraging the unique capacity developed since the start of the Community Coordination Plan.

Led by the Canadian Red Cross and funded by United Way Greater Toronto, the Community Coordination Plan Community Resilience Pilot will aim to better understand the level of preparedness of partner organizations and pathways to Cluster-wide response when faced with climate-related disasters and other emergencies. Pilot activities will include:

  • Assessment of preparedness assets, gaps and vulnerabilities of participating organizations through the Ready Rating Program
  • Identification of capacities, strengths, and opportunities in each pilot Cluster
  • Creation of a common set of actions and readiness factors for each pilot Cluster
  • Completion of a simulation activity, designed and implemented by Canadian Red Cross staff, with each pilot Cluster

Pilot activities will engage East York Don Valley and North Etobicoke Clusters from June 2024 to March 2025.

The Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy is the City of Toronto’s action plan for ensuring that each of our neighbourhoods can succeed and thrive. The Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy supports healthy communities across Toronto by partnering with residents, community agencies and businesses to invest in people, services, programs and facilities in 33 identified Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs). The strategy aims to activate people, resources and neighbourhood-friendly policies to deliver local impact for city-wide change.

Learn more about how you can get involved today!