Guiding Strategic Themes

In considering our context and understanding of our work, we remain committed to our three strategic themes to guide us as we develop a process for our next strategic plan:

1. Defining our Future, Responding to Our Context, Affecting Systemic Change Through Partnership

2. Responding to Vulnerability, Fostering Self-Determination

3. Sustainable Organizational Practice, Impact Through Investment

The current strategic plan has provided overall guidance and direction while at the same time recognizing that priorities shift in response to workload, new opportunities, and emergent needs – including those resulting from the pandemic. We remain responsive at all levels within the organization to those realities. The themes and detailed Strategic Action Plan including the annual priorities should be understood in this context.

Principles that Guide our Work

Justice and Poverty Reduction

Utilizing a poverty reduction and equity-based analysis, respond to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including Indigenous communities, Black communities, racialized communities, trans and non-binary communities, women, low-income communities, people experiencing homelessness, people who use substances and people who are incarcerated including the development of expanded food security programs, emergency relief funds, and interventions that support low-barrier access basic needs.

Adaptation

Continue to adapt our existing programs and services to meet community need with a focus on the social determinants of health, accessibility, and adaptability through partnership.

Anti-Black Racism and Indigenous Reconciliation

Our commitments to Indigenous Reconciliation, Anti-Black racism, and anti-racism underpin and inform all aspects of our
work through dialogue and action planning at the Board and senior leadership level, through all-staff training, professional development, and intentional partnerships and community engagement.

Well-Being

Continue to prioritize staff well-being through professional and personal development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, access to emergency support and referrals, and more meaningful opportunities to engage in critical aspirational reflection.

Sustainability

Develop our internal capacity and infrastructure to sustain our work long term. This includes advocating for more sustainable and long-term funding opportunities, procuring leading technology and tools that position us well into the future, and investing in internal capacity building and strategies in long-term staff development and retention.

4 Key Strategic Priorities for 2023-2024

STRATEGIC PRIORITY #1: Responding to Community Need

Continue to build mechanisms that understand needs on the ground through ongoing dialogue and engagement with community while building out existing programs and services; seeking opportunities and promising practices for new responses and interventions that are aligned to our current commitments to diverse 2SLGBTQ+ communities in the GTA as well as the broader Downtown East.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY #2: Invest In and Advance Infrastructure and Systems Improvements

Invest in organizational infrastructure and systems that increase access to programs and services, improve operational efficiencies, support good governance, provide ongoing analysis, real-time insights, and strategically identify sustainable fundraising strategies.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY #3: Internal Capacity Building and Workforce Development

Strategically advance the work of anti-racism, reconciliation, equity, justice and accessibility through intentional internal capacity building and training efforts. Continue to build people-centred human resource practice, flexible responsive work models, and advocate for increased compensation across the organization, particularly at the frontline level.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY #4: Partnership Development and Relationship Building

Build strong community-based partnerships that strengthen service delivery, advocacy, and social policy networks that contribute to pandemic recovery efforts that are responsive to community need and that ensure that marginalized and vulnerable communities are not left behind.