Where We Work
We go where children need consistent support the most.
Thousands of children in Toronto Community Housing are growing up surrounded by challenges they did not choose.
Many face poverty, isolation, limited opportunities, housing instability, and a lack of safe places to spend their time after school. While every neighbourhood has strengths worth celebrating, many children still lack the relationships, support systems, and opportunities they need to thrive.
That is why UrbanPromise Toronto chooses to serve directly within Toronto Community Housing communities.
Rather than asking children and families to come to us, we go to them.
For more than 25 years, we have built long-term relationships with children, youth, and families in neighbourhoods where consistent support can make a lasting difference. We believe every child deserves to be known, valued, and given the opportunity to discover the purpose God has for their life.
Today, UrbanPromise Toronto serves three Toronto Community Housing communities across Scarborough and Etobicoke, walking alongside children from childhood into adulthood through our 20-year Leadership Pathway.
Our Communities
Camp Hope
Warden Woods, Scarborough | Launched in Summer 2000
Cataraqui is a vibrant, deeply interconnected community tucked into Scarborough Southwest. It is a neighbourhood rich in cultural diversity, resilience, and multi-generational families. While the community faces systemic barriers associated with under-resourced urban hubs, it is powered by an incredible grassroots energy.
Through Camp Hope, UrbanPromise Toronto partners directly with Cataraqui, Firvalley, and Leyton families. Operating inside Toronto Community Housing spaces, we collaborate alongside local schools, community centres, community leaders and stakeholders, and local food banks to create a unified network of safety, opportunities and youth-led leadership development.
Camp VICTORY
Mount Olive, Etobicoke | Launched in Summer 2001
Mount Olive is a resilient, dynamic neighbourhood located in northwest Etobicoke. Home to a beautifully diverse, multi-generational population, this community thrives on its strong cultural roots and tight-knit family networks, even while navigating the systemic challenges of an under-resourced urban area.
Through Camp Victory, UrbanPromise Toronto partners closely with local families to raise up the next generation of neighbourhood leaders. Operating directly out of the local church and community centres, Camp Victory fosters a safe, supportive environment and vibrant community-wide collaboration.
Camp TRUTH
Glamorgan, Scarborough Centre | Launched in Summer 2020
Glamorgan is a growing, multi-cultural neighbourhood situated in central Scarborough. It is a close-knit community characterized by diverse families, deep potential, and a desire for local opportunity.
As the newest site, Camp Truth partners directly with Glamorgan families to create possibilities. Located within two Toronto Community Housing high-rise buildings, Camp Truth collaborates with local schools, community stakeholders, and regional organizations to establish a brand-new foundation of safety, academic care, and local youth leadership from the ground up.
Why Toronto Community Housing?
Toronto Community Housing is home to more than 100,000 residents across the city, including thousands of children and youth. Many families face significant barriers, including low incomes, limited access to extracurricular opportunities, and the ongoing effects of poverty.
The hours after school are especially important.
Research consistently shows that children benefit from safe, structured environments where they can build positive relationships with caring adults, develop new skills, and experience a strong sense of belonging. UrbanPromise Toronto exists to provide exactly that.
$22,411
Annual household income
40,856
Total number of households
94,816
Total tenants
32%
children and youth residents
19,741
Multi-generational households
25%
are single-parent families
Our Commitment Is Long-Term
Many organizations provide short-term programs.
UrbanPromise Toronto commits to a 20-year journey.
We meet children in elementary school, invest in them through their teenage years, help them develop leadership skills as StreetLeaders, and continue mentoring them as young adults.
Our goal is not simply to run programs.
Our goal is to see children become leaders who love Jesus and serve their communities.
Reach a Child
Ages 5 to 14
Relationships are cultivated with children through AfterSchool Program, seasonal camps, and experiential learning opportunities.
Camp is a safe place to come too. Children get help with homework, eat healthy snacks, play games and hang out. Our goal is growth in spiritual awareness, academic achievement and respect for self and others.
Raise a Leader
Ages 15 to 19
High school aged youth are hired to volunteer and work at camp as StreetLeaders. They are trained to lead, coached to serve and required to try their best.
We help youth build resumes, navigate their teenage years and apply for post secondary school. Our goal is spiritual growth & maturity, leadership development and community service.
Restore Community
Ages 20 to 25
As these youth become young adults, they are released to multiply the impact of UrbanPromise Toronto and become positive influencers & leaders in their communities.
Young adults stay connected through 2-way mentorship; we support their launch into the world, and encourage them to pour back into those coming up behind. Our goal is strong foundations in church connection, college and career path and community leadership.
This is how communities are transformed: one child, one leader, one generation at a time.
Where We Go Next
Our vision is a generation of young leaders from Toronto Community Housing who love Jesus and serve their community.
As God provides opportunities, partnerships, volunteers, and supporters, we hope to bring the UrbanPromise model to additional Toronto Community Housing neighbourhoods so that more children can experience faith, belonging, mentorship, and hope.
Because every child deserves people who will walk alongside them for the long haul.