YSM is on a mission to end the experience of long-term poverty in Toronto. As we near the halfway point of our 20-year strategic plan, we wanted to update you on our progress to date.
In Stage 1, to build a foundation for this work:
• We created TIMES™, a tool that measures 18 indicators of human well-being. TIMES™ helps us tailor the support we offer and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs.
• We established partnerships with other agencies to begin learning and collaborating together.
In Stage 2, our goals reflected the fact that YSM works at three levels of poverty intervention: 1) individuals and families, 2) communities, and 3) city-wide.
Areas of progress during stage 2 include:
• Individuals and families: For each group we serve using our RISE model, including vulnerable youth, families in need and adults experiencing long-term poverty, we’ve developed programs to ensure we are providing holistic wrap-around care and clear pathways to meaningful income. We’ve also improved our system to track referrals within YSM so we can better support neighbours through goal-setting programs.
• Community Development: Our Community Development (CD) team, working on a City of Toronto contract, created a toolkit for potential application across our city. Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods engaged our CD team to train community ambassadors across the city on effective community development approaches.
• City-wide change: Three #HackPoverty working groups are meeting to develop plans for meaningful change in the areas of community supports, income and housing. We have also begun to train partners in the use of TIMES™.
Now our Vice President of Partnerships & Impact Leah Katerberg is working with staff and leadership from across YSM to evaluate and set goals for the soon-to-start stage 3.
We are excited about every step forward and deeply grateful for your ongoing partnership in building a city where people, and not poverty, thrive!
This story originally appeared in our summer 2025 Urban Lights.