Every year, SCH conducts a Community Sweep, during which multilingual volunteers and staff knock on doors and speak to local residents. The goal of these conversations is for SCH to identify residents’ unmet needs and understand residents’ concerns. The focus of this year’s Community Sweep on residents’ perspectives about the changes occurring within the eight neighbourhoods of the SCH catchment area. (This area stretches from Roncesvalles in the west to Bathurst in the east, and from Bloor Street south to the lakeshore).

 

St. Christopher House, along with the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto, is conducting research on neighbourhood change and displacement within the SCH catchment area. The goal of this research is to understand how the ethnic and cultural mix of the area can be maintained in light of the socio-economic and demographic changes taking place. The research team will work with local communities, service providers, and businesses to develop creative initiatives to prevent displacement of local residents and businesses in these neighbourhoods.

 

On May 28 and June 1, volunteers and staff from St. Christopher House spoke to more than 200 people living in the St. Christopher House catchment area, and completed 225 questionnaires. Of those who completed the questionnaire, 87 were male and 81 were female (the sweepers did not record gender of the remaining 57 people). The average age, based on the best guess of the sweepers, was 46 years.

 

The community sweepers asked residents eight questions about their perceptions of the changes occurring within their neighbourhoods.

 

Overall, the residents who participated in the Community Sweep enjoy living in the neighbourhood because of their easy access to amenities and resources. Residents’ main concerns were crime – specifically, prostitution and drug use in public spaces. With regard to neighbourhood change, most people are aware of the changes within the neighbourhood, yet a large proportion of respondents feel they do not have a say in these changes. Respondents would like St. Christopher House to offer more community programming that responds to changing demographics and community need.

 

Please read the complete report in the word document below