Community Space Tenancy

Applicant organizations must be:

• grassroots, not-for-profit groups or organizations
• based in community service, arts and culture, community health development, and/or recreation
• based in the city of Toronto
• in good financial standing

Applicant organizations must:

• Serve Toronto residents
• Provide services that meet a demonstrated community need (e.g. immigration, youth or seniors’ services, etc.)
• Support City of Toronto initiatives or strategies (e.g. Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, Confronting Anti-Black Racism, etc.)

Community Space Tenancies will be made available to organizations through a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) administered by the City of Toronto. The REOI is an open call to Non-Profit organizations that fit the service priorities of the available City space allocated for community use. Community organizations must be able to meet any additional application requirements.

Community Partnership Tenancy

A single non-profit organization leasing a dedicated community space providing stable, consistent and accessible community services. A City space can have more than one organization each with an independent lease.

Each lease can be a head lease for up to two sub-lease agencies within a given space.

Incubator Tenancy

A one- to two-year lease agreement for grassroots organizations to build capacity, develop an organizational structure, and design services in order to meet an emerging need. Incubator Tenant organizations will share space with a mentor organization.

Community Hub Tenancy

Three or more non-profit organizations lease dedicated space within a city facility with intentional service collaboration and integration. A governance structure and co-location agreement details the facility service mandate which each agency follows in addition to their lease with the City.

• Organizations responsible for operating costs to maintain space
• Operating cost include but are not exclusive to property tax, utilities, pest control, security and cleaning
• All lease holder improvements and renovations to the space need prior approval from the City

Space Available in the Rexdale Community Hub 21 Panorama Court, Etobicoke, ON M9V 4E3

Deadline to apply: January 4th, 2023, 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Mission of the Rexdale Community Hub:
Rexdale Community Hub’s mission is to provide accessible, welcoming space with collaborative, integrated services, and programs to enrich every aspect of the community’s life.

Vision of the Rexdale Community Hub:
A healthy and sustainable community where residents are empowered and engaged.

Overview of the Rexdale Community Hub:
The Rexdale Community Hub (RCH) is one of seven community hubs established as part of United Way Toronto’s Building Strong Neighborhoods Strategy (BSNS). These hubs, all located in communities identified as having priority needs, share much in common. Developing effective solutions to the complex issues plaguing high need communities depends on collectively engaging and mobilizing the community and its resources. The hubs play an important role in this effort by creating opportunities for engagement and equipping local residents and stakeholders with the supports and services necessary to restore the health of the community.

RCH provides a safe and organized shared space (78,842 sq. ft.) for organizations (the “tenant agencies”) to provide a range of health and social services through the tenant agencies that specifically respond to the needs identified by residents of Rexdale, a socio-economically deprived community of North Etobicoke, including:

• Family resource programs such as parenting, playgroups, parent relief/child-minding, and parent drop-in
• Group programs for children and youth including recreation, social, educational, and creative arts programs
• Primary care (e.g., physician, nurses, chiropody, physiotherapy, dental), health promotion (e.g., diabetes education), congregate dining and healthy cooking
• Settlement services and programming targeting newcomers such as information/referral, system navigation, assistance with
  forms completion, citizenship classes, language instruction, seniors’ programs
• Resident leadership, civic engagement, public legal education
• Legal services including landlord and tenant, income maintenance, worker’s compensation, employment insurance, criminal injuries compensation, system navigation and referrals
• Housing support such as eviction prevention
• Career Planning and Job Search coaching support including resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, labor market information, workshops and community agency presentations, as well as resources to support career planning such as information of job fairs, training opportunities, community events and computer/internet access.

Currently, the tenant agencies that are providing health and social services within the RCH’s shared space are: Albion Neighborhood Services, Delta Family Resource Centre, Rexdale Community Health Centre, Rexdale Community Legal Clinic, Rexdale Women’s Centre, and Toronto Employment & Social Services.

RCH also provides some of its own charitable activities in addition to the programs and services being run by the tenant agencies such as Coordination of Service and Program delivery, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Club, provides a multi-purpose community space designated for use by community residents/groups, and emerging grassroots organizations such as basketball leagues, soccer clubs, yoga, dance and sewing groups, residents’ engagement/leadership groups etc. Community/common space allows these groups to plan and deliver community engagement activities which increase their social, recreational and civic participation in the community.

Available Space Description and Service Priorities:
Rexdale Community Hub (RCH) and the City of Toronto are seeking one non-profit/charitable organization to occupy 1,162 sq. ft. dedicated space in the RCH (Total Rentable Area 2,026 sq.ft., includes 1,162 sq. ft. dedicated and 864 sq. ft. proportionate area). The Request for Expression of Interest process and Selection Criteria will be used to determine appropriate tenant organizations. Currently, RCH houses six agencies and we are looking for tenants who can address the following identified service gaps:

• Mental Health/other free health services not covered by OHIP, such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, etc.
• Employment coaching, job placement and career planning services and supports, training and/or skill upgrading services
• Organizations that mandate food security, poverty reduction, economic development, housing supports, and environmental sustainability goals
• Arts and Culture programming such as arts education for all ages, revitalization of neighbourhood spaces through arts and culture etc.

Overview of the Selection Process:
Through a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) process, the Rexdale Community Hub and City will seek one eligible not-for-profit organization for the Community Space Tenancy Lease. REOIs will be screened against selection criteria by a review panel, upon conclusion of the evaluation process, a final recommendation will be made by the Review Panel to the appropriate City staff for further assessment of the applicant to ensure that the applicant meets the Community Space Tenancy Policy eligibility criteria. The eligible not-for-profit organization will be recommended to City Council for consideration and to approve the Community Space Tenancy Lease.

Eligible Applicants:
The Rexdale Community Hub (RCH) and City will select a not-for-profit organization that:

• Meets the Community Space Tenancy Policy eligibility criteria.
• Shares the vision and mission of the RCH, have similar or congruent missions, and are willing to agree to work collaboratively for the common good and subscribe to the philosophy and values of the RCH.
• Willing to dedicate its resources such as staff and funding towards collaborative service and program delivery.
• Willing to practically engage in the development of a collaborative culture within the RCH.
• Agrees to provide quantitative and qualitative data as required by the RCH and funding agencies for the research and evaluation purposes.
• Provides services and programs in ward 1 and ward 2.
• Agrees to sign Community Space Tenancy Lease, Co-location Agreement, Service Agreement and other Collaborative Agreements.

Occupancy Costs:
Basic Rent: $3.24 per square foot
Estimated Common Area Maintenance 2022: $8.84 per square foot (3 to 8 percent increase due to inflation and other factors such as hydro, water, waste and other unanticipated building maintenance costs)

Administration Fee 2022: $3.90 per dedicated square foot Projected Administration Fee 2023 $3.90 with potential for approximately 3 to 8 percent annual increase due to inflation and other unanticipated operational costs. Rental and Administrative cost includes:

• Utilities
• Custodial
• Security
• Building operations
• Community/common space administration
• Managing work orders and service contracts
• Landscaping
• Repairs and maintenance
• Access to common spaces

RCH provides the following services (free of charge) with City of Toronto and United Way Toronto and York Region (UWTYR) support to strengthen the Community Hub model:

• Coordination of RCH’s Vision and Mission
• Coordination of Neighborhood Engagement
• Secure resources to create a safe and welcoming space
• Engage donors and funders for the common good
• Offer free community space to residents and emerging residents’ groups/organizations.
• Identify potential tenants for vacant spaces
• Develop space usage policies and procedures
• Provide support to comply with City leases and agreements
• Housekeeping
• Morning, evening and Saturdays Reception Service
• Saturday’s security service
• Wi-Fi access in common space/community space

A mandatory online information session was offered on December 2, 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Question: Why aren’t organizations who currently have a service agreement with the City not eligible?

Answer: Organizations that provide childcare, hostels, affordable housing and emergency shelters or housing services are not able to apply to this opportunity because it is not eligible under our CST policy. The policy only covers services that are health services, social services, community center services or cultural or recreational programs. The reason is because these are not covered in our policy and there are different agreements that have other arrangements.

Question: What if we have other programs that could come in, which are not covered by a service agreement? For example, hostel or childcare services.

Answer: That would be fine as long as you’re not providing those services in the community space that you’re leasing.

It will be fine as long as it meets the eligibility of the other types of services.

Question: Is there a shared administrative staff for reception?

Answer: Yes, there is shared administrative staff for reception.

Question: Where are the buildings located?

Answer: 21 Panorama Court.

Question: For the successful candidate, is there a restriction on hours of operation at the RCH?

Answer: Hours of operation are Mon-Fri from 8 – 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 – 4:30 p.m. There is a booking process and if a tenant is running programs after hours, there is an extra cost for security. The security guard concludes his shift at 9:00 p.m. so anything after 9:00 p.m. will be on the tenant

Question: How much is the rent?

Answer: The estimated rent is estimated at $3.24 cents per square foot

Question: If its something minor and non-structural, what would the timeline be for approval for any proposed leasehold improvements?

Answer: It depends on the type of leasehold improvements, if there are drawings required that would have to be reviewed, etc. The property management team would be able to provide an estimated timeline.

Question: Are there are any windows in the space?

Answer: No, there are no windows in the space.

Question: Is there any furniture that comes with the space?

Answer: No, there is no furniture that comes with the space.

Question: If two organizations wanted to jointly apply, would that be possible?

Answer: We are looking for one organization to be a hub tenant.

Question: What is the capacity for the boardroom, how many people can be in the boardroom?

Answer: It depends on the setting, but the boardroom could fit 15-20 people.

Question: Is the space on the first or second floor?

Answer: The space is on the second floor.

Question: Does the boardroom have windows?

Answer: No, the boardroom does not have any windows.

Question: Is Wi-fi included?

Answer: The tenant is responsible for their own internet.

Question: Can internet be upgraded?

Answer: Yes, you can talk to your internet provider and they can just come and upgrade the services.

Question: If any other space becomes available, will this be the same process as well?

Answer: Every time a community space is made available, it will be the same process but a different application form. This application form is only for the 21 Panorama Court space. We do have a waitlist under the Community Space Tenancy program, once these opportunities come up for space, we will email everyone on the list to alert them to come to these information sessions.

Question: Could you describe the nearest shared kitchens and washrooms?

Answer: There is a shared staff lounge. On the second floor, we also have a kitchen as well which is shared by agencies. In the main floor, there is a staff lounge. There are washrooms in the first and second floor as well. There are elevators as well.

Question: Additional to the hub space, are there any other space on site that can be used by community?

Answer: Other than dedicated space, we have a large gym space which tenant organizations can book through our booking system. We also have a meeting space (multi-purpose room) which is also booked through our booking system. The Board is also looking into adding a new space to our common spaces as well.

Question: Are we able to sub-out the location to our other affiliated organizations who may need the location to run workshops and events?

Answer: For Hub partner tenancies, there is no sub-leasing allowed. Our model today is a hub partnership model, and each organization will have to sign an agreement with the City.

If an organization wants to organize a workshop with external partners, they can do use that space in the hub. Free community space is provided to grassroots organizations, community organizations and residents in North Etobicoke.

The City offers various opportunities and agreements for the use of available space through other City Divisions. Follow the link and/or contact below to explore other possibilities.

Economic Development and Culture

Real Estate Services