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East Scarborough Storefront
A One Stop Shop
Q&A with Anne Gloger, Director
It’s a warm Thursday in the park grounds of St. Margaret’s-in-the-Pines Anglican Church in East Scarborough, Ontario. The community festival market is in full swing with colourful tables spread across the green lawn, and local vendors selling everything from local crafts to fresh fruit and vegetables.
The market is supported by East Scarborough Storefront, a unique hub of 35 social service agencies operating from an old police station. It’s a one-stop shop that’s proving to be a vital link between the culturally diverse community and social services.
What is the Storefront about?
The Storefront is a number of different things, but it’s mostly about building social infrastructure at a neighborhood level. East Scarborough has the highest concentration of social housing in Ontario, with a large number of immigrants, particularly from the Tamil and Somali populations. It’s really important they have easy access to critical services and resources.
Why is it unique?
The Storefront model is unique in that all the service agencies collaborate under one roof. Bringing the different agencies together allows us to serve the community more effectively. In 2008 we responded to more than 50,000 requests for assistance.
Why work with Tides Canada?
Tides Canada is the perfect platform for us. They manage our finances and handle our payroll. When we have questions about insurance or HR standards, they do the work and the research, and provide us the answers. They free us up to focus on our goal of creating a thriving community in East Scarborough.
