Yonge Street Mission launches innovative “Invest in People. Change the Story.” campaign

Article content

With 1 in 10 Torontonians living in poverty, a relationship-based initiative is driving systemic change to better support the city’s most vulnerable

Article content

Article content

TORONTO, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the Yonge Street Mission (YSM) launches its Invest in People. Change the Story campaign alongside a new white paper, The End of Poverty: A People-Centred, Evidence-Driven Approach. The campaign and paper advocate a proven approach to poverty alleviation in the face of increasing need and uncertainty. From a model of immediate needs mitigation to one that addresses root causes, the initiative is helping individuals and families exit poverty.

Article content

Article content

After 128 years of service in the city of Toronto, YSM knows firsthand how economic and political unrest is felt most acutely by our most vulnerable neighbours. With over 364,000 Torontonians already living in poverty today – more than 10 percent of the population — the rising cost of living is putting more neighbours at risk, and consequently, stretching resources to meet the growing need at YSM’s front door.

Article content

Article content

YSM’s goal is to continue meeting people’s immediate needs while deepening our approach to helping them address some of the factors in their lives that hinder their ability to rise above poverty. Setting attainable goals that meet an individual’s specific and often more complex needs helps create positive forward momentum and a clearer pathway out of poverty. The Invest in People. Change the Story campaign aims to engage donors in bolstering these efforts, allowing YSM to maintain services and strengthen resources ahead of anticipated difficulties by raising $500,000 by World Hunger Day (May 28th), and inviting others to join in this work.

Article content

“We can see how focusing on someone’s whole self, not just the needs that are presenting in the moment, can directly impact their ability to make positive moves forward,” says Angie Peters, President & CEO, Yonge Street Mission. “While our food bank and employment centre remain priority services, we now place equal emphasis on building relationships with our clients to get at deeper issues that are proven to create greater wins down the road.”

Article content

Article content

Poverty is more than an economic phenomenon — it’s a complex human issue. Relying on income alone as the measure of poverty misses additional factors that can significantly affect a household’s standard of living. Alongside tangible indicators such as shelter, education, and health, personal agency indicators such as a sense of power, self-awareness, and values also have an impact. As well, each person has a unique intersectional experience of poverty with indicators looking different for newcomers, racialized groups, single parents, youth, people with disabilities, and those with Indigenous heritage.

Article content

The white paper tells the story of YSM’s ‘data journey’ and how they came to develop a framework that measures such indicators for each of the people they work with. The framework, called Transformation Integrated Measurement and Evaluation System (TIMES™), measures progression across seven domains of well-being: Connection, Economic, Education, Environment, Equality, Wellness, and Worldview. TIMES™ data gathered so far reveal key insights into which services, or combination of services, are most effective in helping someone progress out of poverty. These include the importance of system navigation, provided through one-on-one relationship-based intervention.