History - Family Service Toronto

FST Historical Records – City of Toronto Archives

In 2024, Family Service Toronto marked 110 years as one of the city’s oldest and most vital social service organizations.

FST started as the Neighbourhood Workers Association (NWA) in 1914 when a group of volunteers came together to address the growing levels of poverty faced by many families in the city. See our Celebrating a Century in the City video, produced in 2014 to mark our centennial.

In 1962, NWA changed its name to “Family Service Association of Metropolitan Toronto”. In 2008, the name changed again to Family Service Toronto.
Originally, NWA served as an umbrella organization, bringing together churches and other charitable organizations to co-ordinate the provision of relief to families in need.

The association was instrumental in organizing relief during the influenza epidemic in 1918 and the Great Depression during the 1930s. NWA’s constitution charged the agency with the responsibility to acquire “information regarding the social needs of the community” and promote “the means to meet those needs.”

Today, FST provides more counselling, community building and other services than relief, but we are still here for Toronto’s most vulnerable citizens. While our organizational structure and nature of our work has evolved over time, our core values remain the same.

1914

Central Council of Neighbourhood Workers Association founded.

1918

Frank N. Stapleford becomes the association's first executive director.

1920

The Association is incorporated as a corporation on May 12, 1920 under the name "The Neighbourhood Workers Association of Toronto".
The Central Office opens at 189 Church Street.

1922

Bolton Camp founded as Fresh Air Camp for mothers with small children, boys and girls from low income families.

1946

Illahee Camp founded in Cobourg for children with medical handicaps.

1947

Illahee begins programming for low-income senior citizens.

1952

Frank Stapleford resigns as executive director.
The Association becomes one of the funding member agencies of today's United Way

1960

A Board/Staff Committee on Social Action is created.

1962

Name changed from Neighbourhood Workers Association (NWA) to Family Service Association of Metropolitan Toronto (FSA).

1967

FSA merges with North York and Weston Family Service to create one metro-wide service.

1968

Bolton Camp rebuilt, partial usage as Bolton Conference Centre.

1974

Employee Assistance Program established; becomes full division in 1985.

1979

Illahee Camp moves to Drag Lake and is renamed Illahee Northwoods Camp.

1981

Senior Support Services is established to provide practical counselling to the aging and their families.
Domestic Response Team is established to work with police to respond to after-hours domestic violence calls.

1984

Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Family Life Lodge opens at Bolton Conference Centre.

1985

Families in Transition unit established to serve increasing numbers of separating, divorcing and blended families.

1988

FSA introduces Mandated Abuse Program for male batterers convicted of wife assault.

1989

Paul Zarnke becomes FSA's sixth executive director

1990

FSA awarded status as a Social Work Teaching Centre for the University of Toronto .
Adult Protective Service Worker Program transferred to FSA from Centennial College.
Campaign 2000 Report Cards (federal and provincial) begin to be issued annually by FSA's Social Action department on status of all-party federal resolution in 1989 to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000.

1991

Multicultural Family Violence Prevention (Somali/Iranian) Program begins and Adventure-Based Learning Centre opens at Bolton Camp and Conference Centre.
Carver model of governance adopted by FSA Board.

1992

Implementation of Multicultural Access Plan. Develop new service partnerships with ethno-cultural and racial communities. Begin Race Relations Training Project to support staff and volunteers through the multicultural organizational change process.

1993

The Growing Up Healthy Downtown Project a collaborative FSA partnership program with seven Toronto settlement agencies is founded.
FSA chosen by Ministry of Health to establish a Placement Coordination Service which becomes a new division of FSA in 1997 (Community Care Access Centre).
Research completed on Successful Family Transitions, Status of Young Families and; Next STEPS program for male batterers.

1995

FSA formally recognizes same-sex couples as families.

1996

Integration of the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbians and Gays to become the David Kelley Gay and Lesbian Community Counselling Services and the David Kelley HIV/AIDS Program.
Report on five-year research project, Successful Family Transition: An Evaluation of Intervention Strategies by Families in Transition department.

1997

FSA moves from 22/24 Wellesley Street to 355 Church Street .
Futures Review establishes vision and values.
Counselling Outcome Evaluation launched.
FSA pilots the Quality of Life Project for people in families with developmental disabilities.
Community Action Team established.

1998

Strategic Program Review and Task Force on Funding Capital Purchases. Decision to sell Bolton property. New Strategic Plan approved by FSA Board.

1999

Implementation of Strategic Plan, which clusters service units into six strategic program units.

2000

Sale of 279-acre portion of Bolton Camp to Toronto Montessori Schools, and 60-acre portion to Camp Villas (development company).

2001

Developmental Services unit is consolidated, integrating the former Case Management Unit and IQOL pilot project. Options becomes one of the six Strategic Program Units.
FSA participates, with other partners, in Learn$ave, a national demonstration project to help low-income Canadians save for education, training or starting a small business through special savings accounts matched by government dollars.

2002

Paul Zarnke, Executive Director, leaves FSA in December, after 13 years of service.

2003

FSA opens an office in Scarborough. The Violence Against Women program and the Community Action Unit are its main tenants.
Yves Savoie commences as the new Executive Director in August.
FSA launches its Access and Equity Plan.

2004

New Strategic Directions approved by Board of Directors.
FSA launches Breaking the Silence: Best Practices for Responding to the Abuse of Older Adults, a first-of its kind manual.
Illahee Lodge program closes.
FSA begins work addressing Homelessness through 138 Pears Avenue project.

2005

FSA ends community action work with Former Yugoslavian community.
Agency begins pilot of New Directions program for women who have experienced the loss of an intimate life partner.
Illahee property sold.
Community Action Unit renamed Community and Neighbourhood Development
Holiday Hamper program relaunched as Gift C.A.R.D. program

2006

FSA Toronto wins first Immigrant Success Award from Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council
Yves Savoie, Executive Director, leaves FSA in December. Kelley Myers is named Interim Executive Director.
FSA Toronto participates in ground-breaking three parent case as an intervener in support of the plaintiff.

2007

Margaret Hancock named Executive Director in March, begins work in July.
FST named designated agency for the Toronto Region to administer Ontario Government's Passport Initiative for young adults with developmental disabilities.

2008

Family Service Association of Toronto changes its name to Family Service Toronto.

2009

FST launches “If I’d Only Known” project addressing family violence in immigrant communities.
C2000 marks 20 years since the 1989 all party resolution to end child poverty with activities across the country.
FST becomes the lead agency in Toronto for the new Person Directed Planning Initiative.
FST launches the Individualized Seniors Support Program based on the successful Options model.

2010

FST is one of seven organizations that provides services from United Way's new Victoria Park community hub in the city's east end.

2011

Brochures addressing family violence are published for newcomer communities in six languages at conclusion of If I Had Only Known project.
New initiative "Healthy Families, Healthy Communities" begins to support community peer leaders working with newcomers on family violence issues.
Tenant support at low-income housing units expands to include new buildings on Sudbury Street and Ossington Avenue.
FST’s Board gives green light to proceed with redevelopment of 355 Church Street.

2012

FST’s Board approves new strategic plan based on foundation of cultural competency to ensure FST’s delivery of effective, appropriate and respectful clinical care and community services to clients and participants from marginalized communities.
FST begins offering free Walk-In Counselling on Wednesdays.

2014

FST becomes co-owner in 128 Sterling Road and begins 2nd floor renovations.
FST celebrates a century in the city. Centennial highlights include FST’s participation in a joint six-month exhibition with University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the Royal Ontario Museum. Other highlights include City of Toronto Archives display of FST decade panels highlighting programs, services and events from 1914 to 2014 and a Century Night celebration attended by 450 guests.
Celebrations also mark the 25th anniversary of annual national and provincial report cards on the state of child and family poverty co-ordinated by FST’s leadership of the Campaign 2000 coalition.

2015

FST relocates its downtown Church Street administrative and counselling to 128 Sterling Road while the Church Street site is redeveloped.
FST winds down commercial enterprise known as Family Services Employee Assistance Programs (FSEAP) after 41 years of operations.

2016

Construction is underway for Church Street redevelopment.
Staff and Board members engage in Indigenous cultural competency training with Indigenous Friendship Centre in response to national Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples.

2017

Departments operationalize four-year strategic plan based on theory of change.
FST selected by Ministry of Community and Social Services to lead consolidation and automation of payment processing for provincial Passport Program and brands operation as PassportONE.
Campaign 2000’s release of its annual national Report Card on Child and Family Poverty and eight provincial report cards generates 300 media stories including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Press and CBC

2018

FST celebrates historic moment with official ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new office podium at 355 Church Street. Administrative and counselling staff relocate downtown while developmental services staff move to Sterling Road from Lawrence Road West.
FST sub-leases several offices to CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses at Sterling Road.
PassportONE implementation begins across the province through a carefully managed transition process.
FST receives accreditation by Council on Accreditation.

2019

PassportONE successfully completes its implementation across the province’s 11 Passport agencies.
Margaret Hancock leaves her post as Executive Director in July after 12 years of service.
Chris Brillinger, named Executive Director in April, begins work in August.
Strategic planning process begins to chart directions that will lead FST through the challenges of the next decade.

2020

FST quickly adapts to new ways of working in March when the COVID-19 global pandemic forces office closures and the rise of virtual meetings through video conferencing and other technology solutions for collaborating remotely.
FST ably demonstrates its ability to shift to virtual service provision in the pandemic’s first year.
PassportONE reaches steady state operations serving 50,000 clients province-wide.
Reassessment of space usage begins at Church Street with leasing of space to Madison Community Services.
FST’s Board of Directors approves the 2021-26 Strategic Plan: Open Hearts, Healthy Minds, Strong Communities.

2021

Pandemic operations continue for a second year with more than 1,000 individuals receiving same-day support through FST’s virtual daily walk-in counselling clinic.
Offices stay closed, staff work remotely and strict health and safety protocols including social distancing and mandatory masking in public are followed.
Website traffic doubles as people seek help and staff conduct virtual meetings.
Consolidation at 355 Church Street results in space licensing to other social service non-profits leading to creation of a Community Services hub, subsequently renamed as Citywide Commons.
Strengthened employee engagement efforts produce positive results.
Campaign 2000 releases child and family poverty report cards for the Northwest Territories and Yukon in addition to annual national and provincial cards.
Works begins on Sustainable Development Goals project – a federally-funded initiative to identify local measures of poverty.

2022

Cautious and phased return to office work for some staff as COVID-19 case counts decline and pandemic restrictions loosen. Client work continues virtually as sites remain closed.
Organizational focus shifts from equity, diversity and inclusion to decolonizing practice/confronting white supremacy.
Continued internal focus on building workplace culture with development of staff-led recognition and health and wellness programs.
Organizational review focuses on new structure to strengthen client-centred focus, a more integrated approach to service delivery and positioning FST to take a stronger leadership role and drive change with the Developmental Services, Gender-based Violence, Community Mental Health and Public Policy/Anti-Poverty sectors.
Growing and deepening inter-agency relationships with Citywide Commons colleague agencies.
FST Executive Director chairs Ontario Passport Agency Network (OPAN)
FST hosts hybrid/in-person national summit on poverty eradication that drives movement building utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals framework.

2023

Reopening of offices after three years of pandemic operations and adoption of a hybrid work plan providing a combination of remote and onsite work.
Transition to new organizational structure with four distinct service groups: Client Services and Partnerships, Corporate Services, Strategy and Innovation, People and Culture.
Creation of technical/team leads in all units to support more integrated workforce and shared accountability.
Launch of PULSE – a revamped intranet platform for internal communication, collaboration and information sharing.
New indicator framework delivered through the Sustainable Development Goals project to better assess and report on poverty reduction efforts and outcomes across Canada.
Workplace Culture Statement addresses FST’s ability to adapt and evolve in its drive to make a positive impact on the lives of clients.