The Grand Parade is a family-friendly fundraiser walk that helps support local charities who serve and support seniors and their families across Canada. Team up, walk, and fundraise with us on Saturday, September 16, 2023!
Start/ Finish Location: Coronation Park (711 Lakeshore Blvd. West)
Turning Point: Marilyn Bell Park (1095 Lakeshore Blvd. West)
# | Team Name | Captain | Members | Raised | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thea's team | Paget Ross | 13 | 6,190.00 | |
2 | Homes First Heroes | Samara Rakhraj | 5 | 1,665.00 |
https://homesfirst.on.ca/ is one of the largest non-profit housing providers in Toronto. We are committed to breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness by providing emergency shelter and supportive housing and services for people with the fewest housing options in our city.
Every day, Homes First supports over 2,000 of the city’s most vulnerable individuals with experience of homelessness, including seniors, families, single mothers, those with complex physical, psychiatric and substance use challenges.
Why do we do it? Because everyone needs a home.
There are over 10,500 people in Toronto every night without a safe, stable place to live; hundreds live “rough” – in ravines, stairwells or on the street— with hundreds more suffering concurrent mental illness and substance use challenges. The shelter system is at capacity, and we have low housing inventory. Street-involved populations, many with several years of chronic homelessness, have nowhere else to go. That’s where Homes First steps in.
We not only believe, but have witnessed firsthand, that with the right supports, majority of people with experience of chronic homelessness can maintain their housing. The first step towards getting supports must always begin with a home.
However, we are now facing a crisis of homeless seniors in our city. ))
Did you know as you read this, 81,000 people are on the waitlist for subsidized housing in Toronto; equivalent to a sold-out crowd at Scotiabank arena.
For a bachelor unit the current wait is 7 years; for a one-bedroom unit the wait is 12 years or longer.
While these current conditions may impact people at all socio-economic levels, one group is disproportionately at risk. Seniors. An alarming number of seniors in our city are lacking adequate support from family or their communities. Toronto’s seniors’ population has more than doubled in the last 5 years.
This is a critical issue that demands our attention and requires a specialized approach. Many of these seniors experience mental and physical health challenges, live on fixed incomes, and must navigate more and more barriers to access the support they require as they age.
More than 50% of the current residents in Homes First supportive housing are seniors. In fact, people aged 50 years and older are the fastest growing population who are accessing our services. We define ‘seniors’ as 50 years and older because the challenges of homelessness speed up the aging process and increase vulnerability.
Many of these seniors are isolated, with few close friends or family nearby. Most feel overwhelmed by new technology and find it difficult to navigate – keeping them from accessing critical resources or care.
On top of age-related medical challenges, over 30% of those experiencing homelessness in Toronto live with mental illness. Seniors experiencing homelessness struggle more than any other homeless population with deteriorating mental health, social isolation and loneliness, estrangement from family, limited mobility, substance-use challenges, threats of violence and daily new trauma.
Homes First recently launched our first capital campaign, https://homefulltoronto.ca/
Toronto should be Homefull.
We believe it can be.
We believe it will be.
With your support, our vision of a Homefull Toronto will become a reality. Join us September 16th, 2023, at the Grand Parade (Toronto-Lakeshore). Together, we can advocate, fundraise and come together. We can get one step closer to ending chronic homelessness in the city of Toronto.
2.5km Turnaround at Remembrance Drive
The TGP Team Participant & Donor Services
Toll Free 1.877.743.3413 / Phone 519.603.2250
Email torontolakeshore@thegrandparade.org