Innovation

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Many people like to say their organization is innovative. At The Neighbourhood Group, those aren’t just words. When we develop an innovative service, we ensure that it identifies a social need, uses a new or different approach, provides impact, and most importantly, improves the lives of people in our community.

Here are just a few examples of innovation at The Neighbourhood Group:

Conflict Resolution

By itself community mediation is not new. When developed as a social enterprise where revenue from services offered to organizations funds free mediation to people in the community, it definitely is. Since 1985, our mediation services have helped improve communication and resolve conflicts from noise disputes to large, organizational rifts.
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Game Changers

Students who are in danger of suspension or expulsion don’t know where to turn. For youth in five TDSB schools, Game Changers is there to help. Our team trains peer youth at those schools to act as mediators, helping to resolve disputes before they escalate further. At one school in the last year, Game Changers helped keep young people in school by preventing more than 300 suspensions.
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Modular Housing

For people who are homeless, finding affordable housing can seem impossible. Thanks to our partnership with COTA Health, people now have apartments of their own in Toronto’s first modular supportive housing. Residents have comprehensive and around-the-clock support onsite, including harm reduction, counseling, assistance with finances, access to healthcare, income support, and help finding work.
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Peer Workers

At The Neighbourhood Group, hiring peer workers has been a longstanding practice. Peer workers have lived experience that broadens their understanding and expands their empathy for people who are going through what they experienced. That impact is most felt in our Urban Health and Homelessness programs, where peers who struggled with homelessness and substance use utilize their experience to build trust with other people. This bond is essential to encourage people to access essential long-term services needed to improve health and gain stability in their lives.
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Toronto Community Addiction Team (TCAT)

People who have complex substance use issues are frequently admitted to emergency rooms and withdrawal services. TCAT provides intensive case management and wrap-around services using an effective client-centered and harm-reduction approach. How effective? The percentage that people in TCAT visit emergency rooms and withdrawal services drops by more than 60%.
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Trustee Hub

Grassroots groups rarely have the resources or administrative expertise to fulfill their missions. Our Trustee Hub changes that. By acting as a trustee, we lend our financial and fundraising expertise to small organizations so that they can focus on what they do best: helping the vulnerable people in their communities, and the communities themselves.
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