The East Scarborough Storefront is an award-winning community hub and catalyst for change in East Scarborough, Ontario. We operate in the community of Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park, an inner suburb of Toronto, Ontario.

Since our earliest days, we have sought to do community work differently. Instead of a deficit-based approach, we believe in an asset-based approach: in fact, we developed our own model for community development - the Connected Community Approach (CCA) - to describe how organizations in communities like ours can work collaboratively to create massive change.

At The Storefront we amplify what is working in the community for the benefit of the community; we connect ideas, resources, opportunities and passion; we bring opportunity and resources and connect them to local initiatives.  Our role, is that of a Community Backbone Organization: a connector, communicator and convenor. We are a catalyst for hyper-local change that is directed by the people who live here.

Last year, we had more than 6,400 visits, more than 8,800 referrals were made to community resources, and more than 10,000 delicious meals were lovingly served by resident leaders from our bustling community kitchen.

Our community

Residents of KGO experience significant barriers to success in multiple domains: at work, at school, at home, and in healthcare settings. As a result, 30% of people in our community live below the Low Income Cut Off: the highest level of poverty in any community in the Greater Toronto Area.

In our community:

• 18% of residents are seniors 

• Residents are racialized: Upwards of 68% identify in the census as "visible minorities” and 21% identify as Black, compared to 9% City-wide

• Residents are new to the area, and to the province and country as a whole: 59% of residents identify as newcomers and 18.9% as recent immigrants 

• The average unemployment rate (pre-pandemic) was 12.2% compared to 5.7% City-wide (2019-2020)

How we work

No one agency can anticipate and meet every need that residents have. But collectively, the possibilities are enormous. Recognizing that community resources and social services in East Scarborough are sparse to begin with and difficult to navigate by public transit, The Storefront actively seeks community organizations and grassroots initiatives, and brings these together under one roof in a way that is convenient and predictable for residents. We also work at a systems-level to convene businesses, non-profits, charities, grassroots organizations and residents to address community wide challenges and opportunities.

LEARN MORE

East Scarborough Storefront Playbook: 2020-2026

Read our strategic plan