Dear Friend,
I feel especially grateful for your support at this time of year. While many of us find warmth indoors, far too many people across the GTA face the toughest days of the year, while also struggling to stay housed, fed and connected.
I see it every day. Cold weather makes existing challenges harder. Housing instability becomes more dangerous. People feel more alone and mental health challenges become more urgent. For many, even the basics are out of reach.
I know a better tomorrow is possible.
That’s why I want to thank you for believing in a GTA for all. Your generosity in 2025 will help us in the days ahead — delivering food to seniors who can’t leave their homes, connecting individuals to mental health supports at critical moments and supporting people experiencing housing insecurity find safer, more stable places to live.
As we look ahead, our commitment is simple: through every season, United Way will be there for our neighbours across the region. Together with supporters like you, we will continue to provide urgent relief and empower lasting solutions, building a region where no one is left behind. Any way we can.
With gratitude to you,
Heather McDonald
President & CEO
United Way Greater Toronto
Your support in action
Securing community spaces to keep vital services local
After a decade in their neighbourhood, United Way-supported College-Montrose Children’s Place was suddenly at risk of losing the space that local families depended on. Rising real estate costs left them with an impossible choice: buy or leave. With your support, United Way was able to step in. Through our Community Real Estate Initiative, the agency was able to purchase the space originally designed for them — securing stability for families who rely on early learning programs that build strong foundations for lifelong learning, foster connection and strengthen community wellbeing. Launched in 2024, this initiative is already empowering lasting solutions, helping agencies across the GTA protect vital spaces so community services can stay rooted, accessible and strong.
Helping youth build brighter futures
Ten years ago, United Way set an ambitious goal: help more than 10,000 young people build brighter futures by 2025 through our Youth Success Strategy. Thanks to you, we’ve surpassed it! At a time when jobs are changing, costs are rising and barriers to employment persist, this milestone matters more than ever. We’re empowering lasting solutions, creating opportunities that help youth build confidence, gain in-demand skills and access meaningful work. What we’ve learned through our Youth Success Strategy now strengthens our approach to inclusive employment, expanding pathways to good jobs for youth and jobseekers across the GTA.
Community action when it matters most
When an overnight fire displaced over 100 residents in Thorncliffe Park, United Way-funded Thorncliffe Park Community Hub responded immediately. Staff transformed the hub into an emergency support space overnight, working alongside the City of Toronto and the Canadian Red Cross to provide shelter, warmth, food, washrooms and essential supports. By early morning, every resident had a safe place to stay. This is the power of community infrastructure: trusted local spaces, rapid response and dignity in moments of crisis — made possible because of support from people like you that comes long before emergencies happen.
Helping people thrive while reducing system costs
New data shows the powerful impact of the Social Medicine Initiative (SMI) in Parkdale, a partnership between United Way, University Health Network and the City of Toronto, which provides vulnerable residents with stable housing, 24/7 wraparound supports and accessible healthcare all in one place. Just over a year after opening, the residents have reduced their emergency department visits by 52 percent, dropped the amount of time they previously spent in hospital beds by 79 percent and there’s been more than $2 million in annual savings to the provincial health care system. This is donor support in action, proving that stable housing and prevention-focused care don’t just change lives; they empower lasting solutions and create smarter, more compassionate systems.
IN COMMUNITY, WITH COMMUNITY
Watch the latest Community Chats episode, where host Brad Saunders, CEO of United Way-funded Community Living Toronto, sits down with United Way’s President & CEO Heather McDonald to talk about her leadership journey, the power of community and how United Way’s network advances solutions to pressing social challenges across Ontario.
Building community takes community.
With your support, we will build a GTA where everyone has what they need to thrive. Any way we can.
Learn more about our work. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates about how your local love is making a difference across the GTA.