Dear Friend,
As the GTA grows and more residents face rising living costs and complex challenges, the need for support is at a breaking point. Inside the doors of many community agencies, waiting rooms are full and programs are packed into spaces that were never built for this level of demand. That’s why we’re putting our Community Real Estate Capital Grants to work.
United Way is investing $2.2 million in 14 projects centred on creating and renovating community spaces across the GTA. This funding will help add 140,000 square feet of new community space and upgrade existing facilities to better serve communities. In York Region, for example, we’re supporting the expansion of the Georgina Island First Nation Health Centre so that more residents can access culturally grounded, integrated care. In Peel, the transformation of the second floor of Knights Table includes an enhanced food bank, responding to rising food insecurity.
This marks our second investment into the bricks and mortar that bring communities together, following $2 million in grants announced last year. In total, we’ve funded 27 real estate projects, with some already complete. The 519 in Toronto, for example, will reopen next week with a redesigned space that will help serve even more residents and increase capacity for one-on-one support for individuals in crisis.
Community spaces are at the heart of resilient, equitable neighbourhoods — and your support helps ensure these spaces remain rooted, responsive and able to grow alongside the people they serve.
With sincere appreciation for your support,
Alka Graham
Director, Donor Experience
United Way Greater Toronto
Your support in action
Supporting women on the path to meaningful work
Bridging employment gaps for youth with disabilities
In today’s competitive job market, many young people are struggling to find work. Zafeer, a young man with Down syndrome, experienced an especially tough job search, with discrimination, inaccessible workplaces and other systemic barriers limiting opportunities. So, he created his own. Through a United Way-funded entrepreneurship program for racialized youth with disabilities, Zafeer launched a photography business that lets his talent shine while earning a steady income. This is the result of your support for 30+ programs helping people with disabilities thrive. Read more about Zafeer’s journey.
Thank you for joining Jane’s Walk
On May 2, more than 60 friends and neighbours joined us for Jane’s Walk on our guided tour of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park through a United Way lens. Together, we saw how the supports you make possible are shaping more connected neighbourhoods. We saw where two planned Ontario Line stations will expand residents’ connections to jobs, health care and culture. We visited green spaces that support climate resilience and community well-being. At the Thorncliffe Park Community Hub, we saw how food, newcomer and employment supports become more accessible when offered together in one place. These and other stops offered a promising glimpse of the resident-centred city-building underway.
ILEO Storefront Starter entrepreneur wins Start-Up of the Year
Jennifer Uy, founder of Happy Natural Products, received the Start-Up of the Year Award at the Scarborough Business Association’s Mayor’s Gala. Jennifer participated in our Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity (ILEO) initiative’s Storefront Starter program, which helps aspiring entrepreneurs build the skills, relationships and opportunities to launch their business idea. With that support, she grew her wellness brand with products now carried at Walmart. Thank you for supporting equitable access to business opportunities that strengthen our communities from within.
IN COMMUNITY, WITH COMMUNITY
Join us June 3 at 12 p.m. for Diving Deeper: Welcoming Communities. Hear how coordinated community supports are helping newcomers move from arrival to belonging — and where more is needed. RSVP here for this free lunch-hour panel.
Join us on June 19 for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Members. RSVP today for a look back at the partnerships and progress your support helped drive this year.
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.