History

Adaptive. Resilient. Committed.

In 1913, EHM opened at 573 Queen Street West, seeking to care for the spiritual and material comfort of any who entered the front doors. And while the Queen West neighbourhood has changed over the decades, EHM has stood as a beacon of hope and safety for anyone in need of assistance.

EHM has stood in the gap, decade after decade, helping individuals and families endure the Great Depression, both World Wars, major recessions, and now, this pandemic.

Programs have always adapted to the needs of the community. Over the years, EHM has transformed itself from a soup kitchen during the Great Depression, a settlement and family support centre to assist newcomers who came to Toronto after World War II, and an adult Drop-In for the influx of single adults who moved into the area in the 1960's.

By the 1970's, the framework for EHM’s current community programs began to take shape. Responding to the growing issues of poverty, addictions, and homelessness, EHM started to host addictions treatment and support programs. The Financial Trustee program began, assisting individuals to manage meager funds more effectively, get bills paid, and most importantly, secure and maintain housing. The Drop-In Centre was a place to seek shelter from the streets, have a hot meal, obtain clean clothes, and enjoy a friendly game of cards.

EHM continued to adapt and expand its programming but by the early 2000's the limitations of its existing facility were becoming clear. The beloved tall, narrow, three-storey building, with its long stair cases and limited ventilation, simply was no longer the appropriate place to provide community services. EHM’s clients deserved a more effective program space.

At the same time, the affordable housing crisis was a rapidly emerging issue. EHM’s staff and leadership could see the critical need for affordable housing reflected in the individuals that were coming to EHM day after day and had no safe home to go to at night.

Continuing its legacy of adapting to meet community needs, EHM and its donors community undertook the agency’s largest transformation to date: building not just a new community centre, but building affordable housing as well.

So, in 2006, EHM moved from its small storefront space to its current location, 552 Adelaide Street West. A modern, 6-storey facility with a large, sunny, accessible community centre, and 84 affordable housing units.

But the agency wasn’t done evolving. Within a few years, a free community dental clinic was established in the building, a green rooftop patio installed to provide tenants a beautiful amenity space, and other partnerships established to provide continuous, ever-broadening supports.

And during the pandemic, staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to ensure vital community supports remained available to assist individuals hit hardest by the pandemic. We are proud to say we only closed for ten days in March of 2020, and thanks to the creativity of staff and support of EHM donors, support, social programs and food services continued.

No matter the challenge, EHM’s mission remains steadfast – providing non-judgmental supports built on the principle of loving one’s neighbour as oneself and being a place of safety and hope no matter the circumstance.