Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood & Community Health Centre (Youth Services)

The Davenport Perth Neighbourhood & Community Health Centre is unique in that it’s both a neighbourhood and community health centre supporting people at every stage of their lives.

A neighbourhood centre is a non-profit, multi-service organization, a community hub that works towards building supportive communities. A community health centre provides primary care for clients using a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, nurse-practitioners, counsellor/therapists, dietitians and medical administration staff.

Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre is home to a range of services. For over two decades, we have played an important role in the lives of people in Toronto’s west end. As a neighbourhood centre and a community health centre, we are able to support people at every stage of their lives, assisting them to stay healthy, develop leadership skills, make healthy lifestyle choices, build positive relationships and work together to improve living conditions and improve their prospects for the future.

Committed to addressing the cycles of poverty, violence and isolation, our multi-service Centre has created a wide range of services and programs for those who are most vulnerable: low income children, teens, families, single mothers, refugees and immigrants, isolated adults, and seniors. Our Centre is accredited by the Community Organizational Health Inc.

 1900 Davenport Rd., Toronto, Ontario, M6N 1B7

 (416) 656-8025

• Local

• Youth

n 1984 the Pelham Neighbourhood Action Committee (made up of neighbourhood residents) was formed to review the social conditions of the Davenport West/Junction Triangle area. In 1984 and 1985 the Committee worked with the City of Toronto to conduct a needs assessment of the community. The needs assessment identified serious social, economic and health issues in this area suggesting that this was a high risk area of the City. At the same time other initiatives were beginning as well. They included:

• The Toronto Children’s Network selected this area as a site for a Family Centre.
• The West Toronto Support Services for Seniors and Disabled was organized with the assistance of Metro Community Services as a successor to West Metro Senior Citizen Services in 1984.
• The Northern Health Area of the Public Health Department had given priority to initiating community based health programs. Staff, area residents and other agencies investigated the potential for a Community Health Centre.
• The Pelham Youth Outreach Project was initiated given the need for support services for youth living in the community. Three staff were hired under the sponsorship of the Planning and Development Department and seconded to work under the direction of the Youth Service sub-Committee to develop on-going services.

The Junction Community Information Centre (now Community Action Resource Centre) was opened in 1983 by the High Park Interagency Network.
In partnership with agencies, government bodies and faith communities serving the neighbourhood, the Pelham Neighbourhood Action Committee initiated a proposal for the joint development of a Neighbourhood Services Centre (initially called Neighbours) on the basis of: Involvement of residents and resource people in developing programs in response to identified needs; the potential to maximize staff resources, funding, facilities and equipment through joint development; the potential to enhance community development efforts through shared goals and mutual support.

In July 1985, the Neighbourhood Services Centre Work Group began the development of the Centre and by October of that year, it was incorporated as the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre.

A Home with the Davenport-Perth United Church

The congregation of the Davenport-Perth United Church voted to enter into a partnership with DPNC and the community and lease the church building and manse at 1900 Davenport Road. It was seen to be an excellent site for the Centre in the very heart of the community, in a building whose church has played an historic role in the development of the area. It is also linked well with public transportation routes.

New Growth

In 1988, Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre secured funding from the Community Health Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health. A team of physicians, nurses, receptionists and a social worker was hired to provide clinical health services.

A Renovated Home

In the late 1980′s plans were made to renovate the Church and manse. A committee worked with the architect to develop a design. The design linked the 130 year old Church with a west addition. The connecting space serves as a public internal street with high, bright ceiling space. A further addition in the north-east part of the site accommodated the expansion of the daycare. The Church sanctuary was converted into a multi-purpose space. By 1991 the renovations were complete. Programs, which had been operating off site at two storefront locations on Davenport and in space at our next-door neighbour’s Symington Place, moved into the new building.

New Locations

In 1996 Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre received funding from Human Resources Development Canada to open and coordinate two Employment Resource Centres (ERC). A mini ERC was built on the main floor of the Centre, while a much larger one was developed at 605 Rogers Road. Both locations were designed to help community residents with their job search through workshops, information, resume writing, internet, job fairs and the use of phones and a fax.

In the summer of 1998, renovations were completed on an office building that was located in the southern-most tip of our catchment area in a cooperative housing complex. A neighbourhood advisory group was formed to determine which programs and services could be offered in this new neighbourhood centre. After some deliberation, the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood & Community Health Centre and the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club were the two organizations chosen. The Perth Randolph Neighbourhood Centre, as it became known, was one of our Early Years program sites until early 2009 when the building was sold and DPNCHC had to relocate.

In 2003, ALFA, the Adult Literacy program, which has been a tenant at the Centre, became a program within the DPNCHC renamed as Adult Literacy Services. Also in that year, the Centre was designated as an Ontario Early Years Centre, with responsibility for early childhood development and parent education services for the Davenport Riding. We provide these services in partnership with a number of other Early Years organizations.

In 2009, we received long-awaited news that our request for funding for a new community health centre was approved and we are in the planning and design stages for a new free-standing building on our parking lot site. We are hoping to have completion by 2011.

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Mental Health

We will enhance our services for people living with serious and persistent mental health problems.

Outcome 1: Increased knowledge that informs action among staff, clients, community members and policy makers about mental health needs, gaps and ways to respond.

Outcome 2: Community members with mental health issues, particularly those with serious and persistent mental health issues, are able to access a broader range of DPNC services that improve their well-being.

Outcome 3: Increased capacity within the DPNC community to carry out public policy advocacy with and on behalf of people living with serious and persistent mental health problems.

Chronic Disease Management and Prevention

We will work to prevent chronic health conditions and support the people who live with them.

Outcome 1: Community members living with chronic health conditions/disease are able to access a broader range of support services and programs at DPNC.

Outcome 2: DPNC offers a greater range of programs aimed at preventing chronic conditions.

Outcome 3: Increased capacity within the DPNCHC community to carry out public policy advocacy with and on behalf of people living with chronic health conditions.

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The DPNCHC is grateful to the funders and organizations whose financial support makes our mission and vision a reality.