Client Profiles

Neighbourhood Land Trust and Circle Community LandTrust

February 15th, 2023 by Iler Campbell LLP

Iler Campbell LLP is proud to have supported the transfer of 756 units from Toronto Community Housing Corporation to the Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT) and Circle Community LandTrust (CCLT). This large-scale transaction, which included corporate, real estate, municipal, and financing components, is part of the City of Toronto’s “Tenant’s First” program which is focused on improving access to services and housing for tenants.

NLT and CCLT are focused on ensuring they are successful in maintaining custody of these homes and ensuring perpetual affordability. Their work, however, has just started.

We continue to support NLT and CCLT as they embark on their ambitious repair programs supported by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The land trusts are leveraging their repair program plans to generate even more community benefits, including supporting local trades and social enterprises. Notably, NLT is committed to increasing employment and training opportunities for community members and those who experience barriers to employment in the construction industry. We also continue to assist the land trusts with the implementation of their social housing programs, tenancy matters, governance, and more.

Read more about the transaction, and those behind it, in this blog post by Heather Tremain, the Chair of the CCLT board of directors and CEO of Options for Homes.

Client Profile: Aron Theatre Co-operative

March 23rd, 2022 by Maggie Fleming

Aron Theatre is a historical and cultural hub in Campbellford, Ontario. What started out in 1947 as a privately‑owned theatre has since transformed into a thriving non‑profit consumer co‑operative. The theatre had been declining for years and the owner was retiring. In 2009, the community came together to save the beloved theatre in a resounding testament to the efficacy of the co‑operative business model.

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Client Profile: IFH Rebrands as Birch Housing

January 12th, 2022 by Iler Campbell

Birch Housing is a private nonprofit community housing provider with over 45 years of experience. In line with the organization’s vision that every person has a safe and quality space to live, Birch Housing has remained steadfast in its commitment to fostering social equity and providing affordable housing to those who need it.  

Before rebranding as Birch Housing in 2020, the organization was known as Inter Faith Homes, operating through four separate corporations. Its complicated corporate structure reflects both its regional nature and its evolution. Each of the four was formed with the overall goal of developing new community housing, coming together at various times in the 80s and early 90s, together providing quality housing for low and moderate-income homes.  Continue reading “Client Profile: IFH Rebrands as Birch Housing”

Client Profile – Pride Toronto

June 15th, 2021 by Celia Chandler

June is Pride Month in Toronto and no organization is busier than Pride Toronto. Founded 40 years ago following the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids, but with origins from a decade earlier, Pride Toronto is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to bring people together to celebrate the history, courage, and diversity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Continue reading “Client Profile – Pride Toronto”

AIS joins WoodGreen – a case study on organizational integration

November 3rd, 2020 by Iler Campbell LLP

A Tudor style, 3-storey walk-up apartment building with 13 units built in 1995. A landscaped rear patio, and large trees add to the appeal of this building located within 10 minutes of the beaches.

An east end café was the setting for an energetic conversation between a leader of a small supportive housing program and the CEO of a large community service organization. Accommodation, Information and Support Inc. (AIS) a pioneer of the supportive housing model for persons with mental health challenges and WoodGreen Community Services, a systems leader in providing innovative solutions to challenging social issues, began a conversation about the mutual benefits of joining forces.   Despite the global pandemic, we continued with our plans and completed a voluntary integration on April 1, 2020 into a single corporation, WoodGreen Community Services. We felt it was an opportune time to leverage our combined expertise to better serve clients, who need us now more than ever, with intensive mental health and supportive housing supports. Continue reading “AIS joins WoodGreen – a case study on organizational integration”

Client Profile: St. Clare’s celebrates opening 22 new deeply affordable housing units

September 16th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

The new building with its cut-steel artwork adorning the balconies.

St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society is a charitable organization that provides affordable mixed-income housing in downtown Toronto. St. Clare’s was formed in 1998 by people who knew that the only way to end homelessness was to build affordable housing. This summer, St. Clare’s celebrated the opening of 22 new deeply affordable units in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighborhood.

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