Company Profile
Toronto City Mission
Company Overview
Toronto City Mission is Toronto’s oldest and longest running outreach to people living in poverty. Toronto City Mission was established in 1879 by ministers and laymen who recognized the need to reach the neglected and needy parts of the city.
130 years later, Toronto City Mission still exists to demonstrate God’s love. To transform at-risk communities, we will: partner with our neighbours, form strong relationships, cultivate community leadership and provide proactive social and educational programs. By God’s grace, we envision…a city of vibrant, hope-filled communities where neighbours experience and share God’s love.
We run programs to enable, empower, and encourage inner-city children, youth, and their parents rise to their full potential each day and for a lifetime. We do this by building personal relationships through innovative programming. Our programs teach life skills, build self-confidence, and help our community members grow their spiritual foundation anchored in the transformational teaching of the Word of God.
Company History
On November 14, 1879, the Toronto City Mission was established by ministers and laymen who recognized the need to reach the neglected and needy parts of the city. The mission was organized to care for the spiritual and material welfare of the poor throughout the Toronto area.
TCM was officially incorporated on December 3rd, 1910. The building at 608 Spadina Avenue was purchased in 1930 and became the mission office and home of the mission superintendent (executive director). Every Christmas since the 1890’s, Toronto City Mission has provided assistance for poor families.
In 1999 there was a sharpening of the focus and a change of strategy of the ministry of Toronto City Mission. The focus would now be exclusively on inner-city families. Part of the strategic change was the decision to work in a number of specific communities and go to the families rather than asking the families to come to the Mission. As a result, the food bank operating out of the basement of the 608 Spadina office was closed and community workers were hired to live and work in two specific communities: Willowtree and St. James Town. Malvern became a ministry site in 2000 and then Steeles L’Amoreaux was added in 2004 in partnership with Bridletowne Park Church. In 2006 the mission began to work with local community churches in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood making a total of 5 ministry sites.
In 2009 the Board of Directors made the strategic decision to sell 608 Spadina Avenue in order to “store up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20) and invest in kingdom partnerships. The main office is now located at 2610 Birchmount Road.