Action for Neighbourhood Change

ANC Office Locator

Find one of the 13 ANC offices in Toronto's 13 priority neighbourhoods

A better place to live

three youth access computers at The Spot

Lotherton Pathway has really been overlooked for a long time. The area has very few services and it's isolated—like the residents.

United Way funded Lotherton-Caledonia Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) project is making a difference in the lives of residents.

Scarborough Village empowered

"I want to participate in many activities so that I can have knowledge about our different needs and help us get strong and prompt results."

Read about the positive results at the pilot ANC site.

Resident Action Grant Success: Big change from small investments

At the Mid-Scarborough Sewing Club, Resident Action Grants helped provide valuable training, offered an opportunity to save money and practice English, brought people together to reduce isolation, and created vital social networks that continue to benefit the community. Read the story...

Building Strong Neighbourhoods Together

Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) is a key component of United Way Toronto's Neighborhood Strategy—a coordinated response to the growing needs, and lack of services in Toronto's inner suburbs.

ANC is about neighbourhood revitalization. To achieve success, we must all work together—local businesses, governments, volunteers, community agencies and most importantly, the residents of the neighbourhoods we are working to strengthen.

United Way believes that, at its core, neighbourhood change must come from the community itself. For this reason, ANC creates opportunities that enable local residents to play a central role in shaping their neighbourhood.

ANC is active in all 13 priority neighbourhoods. (» See the complete list)

Neighbourhoods in transition

Strong, healthy neighbourhoods improve the quality of life for everyone. They are also critically important to the long-term prosperity of our city.

Yet many Toronto neighbourhoods are showing signs of stress. There have been major population changes over the last two decades, with growing levels of poverty in the inner suburbs and few services to meet the needs of residents. The number of youth in these communities is growing, and there is an increasing need for programs and facilities that provide guidance and opportunities for their personal growth. In addition, the steady influx of newcomers creates a need for programs and services that are inclusive and assist with the transition to their new communities.

Left unchecked, growing neighbourhood needs can result in more serious community issues. ANC marks the beginning of this vitally important neighbourhood renewal process.

What are the goals of ANC?

ANC aims to establish resident-led neighbourhood associations that will produce a vision, and develop plans to bring about positive change in their communities. It will provide:

Strengthened influence of local residents
- An empowering belief that residents can make a difference.
- The emergence of capable community leaders.
- Leadership opportunities for youth.
- Dependable support from local politicians, police, schools and businesses.
Enhanced quality of neighbourhood life
- Enabling residents to connect with and depend on one another.
- Shared public spaces that are well maintained and well used.
- Children and youth are occupied and stimulated, seniors are supported and newcomers are welcomed.
Increased access to resources
- New services and infrastructure are introduced to under-serviced areas of the city.
- Neighbourhoods offer a range of shops and services that are accessible and responsive to local demand.
- Local residents feel their vision for a strong and vital neighbourhood is achievable.

Resident Action Grants

Sometimes the biggest change can come from a small investment. Resident Action Grants give resident-led projects in ANC neighbourhoods the chance to make an immediate difference in their communities. These projects are typically small grassroots initiatives working to tackle issues people in the neighbourhood want to address.

Quick Start grants are used to pay for initial expenses like equipment, space and training. These smaller one-time grants facilitate the development of the Quick Start projects into full-scale programs that succeed in rallying wide community interest. Quick Start initiatives prove that it doesn’t take a big investment to make a big difference.