Toronto, ON – On Friday, local MPP Andrea Hazell met with the team at Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST) at the Scarborough Child and Family Life Centre (SCFLC) to hear more about the $200,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant it received from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) in the summer of 2022. The OTF grant was used to support the implementation of a new Poverty Reduction and Advocacy program for Indigenous community members.

“This grant has made an extraordinary and remarkable impact on the programs and facilities of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto by implementing the new innovative Poverty Reduction and Advocacy Program,” said Andrea Hazell, MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood. “The program has helped with the hiring of new staff and creating new workshops and programs in the areas of financial literacy, employment and skills training, mental health, and others through an indigenous holistic approach and in means of creating a brighter and healthier future for many more Scarborough families. Congratulations to the Native Child and Family Services of Toronto for receiving this much deserved grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation, and I am grateful for all the good work this grant will help accomplish!”

The project saw the development and implantation of a new and innovative Poverty Reduction and Advocacy Program as a long-term solution to address the needs of Indigenous community members experiencing poverty – needs that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Using an Indigenous lens, the Poverty Reduction and Advocacy Program provides culture-based resources and financial supports for clients to achieve financial stability, addressing the barriers (i.e. financial literacy, lack of skills training, health, mental health, and underemployment, family/relationship breakdown, etc.) that impact experiences of poverty.

And to help the NCFST with this program, the OTF grant was used to help with staffing costs for a Poverty Reduction Case Manager, as well as for hosting workshops and sessions, and assisting with some administrative costs as well.

“Miigwetch to OTF for the funds they provided,” said Valerie Kerr, Supervisor, Family and Community Programs at SCFLC. “With the funding, we were able to provide financial literacy programs with an indigenous holistic approach, creating a brighter, healthier future where balance and prosperity go hand in hand.”

NCFST provides a diverse range of culturally centred services across all quadrants of the medicine wheel that support the wellbeing of Indigenous children and families living in or accessing services in Toronto and Peel region. Visit nativechild.org to learn more.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested more than $110M into 1,044 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

-30-

Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:

Randall Arsenault, Manager, Communications/PR and Events
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
416-969-8510 / [email protected]